Being overweight is a major health concern in the fast-moving modern world. Being Obese is a medical condition in which an excessive amount of fat and muscle tissue is distributed in a person's body than the optimal level. Normally, people with a BMI over 30 are considered to be obese and overweight. Not only in adults, but obesity is now common among children as well. Adults are more prone to severe health problems due to being overweight than children but one should not encourage overweight among children as healthy living.

There are two main causes of overweight - Genetics, and Lifestyle. Some people become obese due to the genetics of their families. It is a bit more difficult to recover from this type of obesity than the one caused by the people's lifestyle. Physical inactivity, overeating of foods rich in calories, fat, and consumption of fast foods happens to be the main cause of obesity in the modern world. This is becoming the lifestyle of the people in this world.

Whatever may be the cause, being obese brings a lot of health problems in your life. You will be more prone to major chronic disease if you are overweight and don't take any steps to remedy it. In this post, let us see the top major health problem that occurs due to being overweight.

Health Problems of Being Overweight

1. Type 2 Diabetes

Diabetes is a major chronic disease in which a person's body becomes immune to their own insulin hormone. When they cannot produce and use a sufficient amount of insulin, their blood sugar level becomes out of control. Apart from genetics, being overweight is the major cause of type 2 diabetes. If a person eats a lot and doesn't perform much physical activity, then the person will have a higher chance of getting diabetes. The chance increases if the person has a family history of diabetes. A study shows that around 87 percent of people with diabetes are overweight. Being overweight causes your cells to change and become resistant to insulin. So it’s highly recommended to track your weight using weighing scales. When your body cells are resistant towards insulin, your body tries to produce more insulin to keep your sugar level under control which leads to the failure of these insulin-producing cells. This is the reason behind diabetes in obese people.

If you are already diagnosed with diabetes, you still can reduce your weight to prevent other health problems. If you are not diagnosed yet, then you should definitely reduce your weight to delay or completely put off the chance of getting diabetes.

2. Heart Problems

The heading "Heart Problems" is a generic term that encompasses various heart-related issues. It can be a block in heart vessels, hardening & narrowing of heart vessels, chest pain, atrial fibrillation, and even a heart attack. Being overweight doesn't directly cause these heart-related problems, but it does increase your chance by inducing other problems. People who are obese often have high blood sugar, high cholesterol level, and high blood pressure. If a person has these conditions, then the person will have a good chance of being diagnosed with any one of the above-mentioned heart conditions. Excess weight also makes your heart work harder to pump blood all through your body. Overweight adds excess strain to your heart and it leads to some heart-related problems. Having a heart problem is a serious condition that warrants a lifelong hospital visit and medication.

The good thing is that if you reduce anywhere from 5 to 10 percent of your body weight, you can postpone your chances of getting heart problems. Losing weight improves your diabetes, high cholesterol level, and other conditions. It ultimately leads you to have a good and healthy heart.

3. Kidney Failure

Like heart, the kidney is another major organ that gets affected by being overweight. Now, being obese doesn't directly affect the kidneys but having diabetes due to overweight affects the kidney. Kidneys are the natural blood filtering agent in our body. They comprise millions of tiny cells responsible for removing all the waste from your blood. If you are diagnosed with diabetes due to obesity or any other reason, then you will have higher than normal blood sugar levels. The high level of blood sugar damages the cells in your kidneys responsible for filtering. It doesn't happen suddenly, but gradually over time. This is much more severe than heart condition because kidney failure is irreversible and there will be no symptoms of kidney failure until the damages have been done significantly. Having high blood pressure too adds strain to your organs. People with kidney failure due to diabetes can either undergo dialysis for the rest of their lives or have organ transplantation.

Fortunately, if you can reduce your excess weight, then you can bring your blood sugar levels under control. A good diet plan and sufficient physical activity can reduce your weight along with keeping your sugar in check. If you have a controlled sugar level, then your chances of having kidney failure are little to none.

4. High Blood Pressure

High BP due to obesity has already been said much, but not explained properly in this post until now. Blood pressure is the measure of how hard your blood is pushed against the walls of your blood vessels. Your heart takes care of pumping the blood all over your body through the vessels. Based on how hard your heart is pumping, your blood pressure changes. Being obese makes your heart pump harder so that the blood properly reaches all through your body. It leads to having high blood pressure as the blood is pushed hard against the wall. Excess weight along with diabetes and high cholesterol also damages your kidney which regulates BP. High Blood Pressure leads to other complications such as stroke, heart attack, and other major complications. So it is essential to have your Blood Pressure in control.

The good thing is that you can easily keep your Blood Pressure in control if you just reduce your weight and keep your BMI at an optimal level. You can also reduce your salt intake amount and change your lifestyle to keep your BP in check.

5. Arthritis

Arthritis is a common problem among people who are overweight and are above 50 years of age. Arthritis is a condition where there is pain and stiffness around the bone joint region. It mostly affects the knee joint but the hand joint, hips, and lower back can also get affected by Arthritis. The reason behind arthritis in overweight people is simple. The excess fat and muscle in your body put extra pressure on your bone joints and cartilage whenever you walk, run, or take stairs. The joint starts to wear away over time causing pain and stiffness. Excess weight also leads to inflammation in the joint region caused by a high cholesterol level. Inflammation also leads to arthritis.

As you can imagine, by simply reducing your weight, you can reduce the stress on your bone joint and other parts. You can reduce the risk of developing arthritis by just losing at least 5 percent of your body weight. If you have already developed arthritis, you can reduce the pain and stiffness by reducing the weight. Flexibility exercise and other exercises will also improve your arthritis condition.

6. Cancer

Cancer is a major health condition that requires excessive medical treatment. When cells in some part of your body grow abnormally out of control, then this condition is termed as cancer. There is no known cure for cancer and it is considered as the second leading cause of death in the United States. The abnormal cell that is cancer can spread to other parts of your body and mutate. It is hard to imagine getting cancer by just being overweight and it is true that the exact reason for cancer in obese people is unknown. But the presumed theory is that fat cells may release hormones that affect the growth of cells which leads to cancer. So people who are overweight and have a high fat composition in their body are at risk of getting cancer. Having cancer destroys one's life as they have to go through an expensive medical procedure that affects their physical and mental health. So it is better to avoid the risk of having cancer.

You can reduce your excess weight by doing physical activity and following a good diet plan to reduce the risk of getting cancer. Though this method is not proven scientifically, it is better to be safe than sorry.

7. Stroke

When there is a clot or other blockage in your blood vessel that leads to the brain, the blood flow stops. When it happens the cells in your brain die, leading to stroke. This is the common type of stroke that affects the majority of the people. People who are overweight have a high risk of developing stroke due to inflammation caused by fatty tissue. Obese people generally have high cholesterol levels and fatty tissue. This may lead to blockage in the blood vessel causing the brain cells to die, which leads to stroke. Having high blood pressure also leads to having a high risk of getting a stroke. High blood pressure and high cholesterol levels are caused when you are obese and this leads you to have a high chance of having a stroke. Stroke requires immediate medical attention and if not treated properly, it can be fatal and leave permanent damage.

You can reduce the risk of getting a stroke by reducing your weight. As your weight is decreased, so does your cholesterol and fat tissue level. Having an optimal cholesterol level reduces the risk of getting a block, so you will have little chance of having a stroke.

8. Problems during pregnancy and after

Pregnant women who are overweight may face some problems during and after pregnancy. Women generally gain weight during pregnancy and that is normal. But if you are already obese, then it may raise the risk of health problems for both the mother and the baby. Being obese during pregnancy will leave you with increased risk for developing gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, and even needing a C-section for birth. Obesity also increases the risk of stillborn. Overweight during pregnancy also increases the risk of surgery complications such as slow recovery, blood loss, etc. It will also have long term effects as the child may gain too much weight later if the mother is too obese during pregnancy.

If you are overweight and are pregnant, then you should consult with your doctor regarding the weight-loss strategy. If you are overweight and want to become pregnant, then you should reduce your weight first to an optimal level. Losing weight will significantly reduce the health risks for you and the baby during pregnancy. You will also have less chance of developing gestational diabetes. Losing weight also reduces the chance of you developing high Blood Pressure or cholesterol during pregnancy.

Conclusion

Yes, there are a lot of major health problems that arise due to being overweight. But the risk of developing these health problems can be significantly reduced by following a strict diet plan and exercising frequently. If you just reduce your weight by 5 to 10 percent then you don't have to worry about any health concerns for a long time. Hope you got information regarding the health risk of being overweight and how to mitigate it.