Most people are aware that obesity is a major concern (particularly in America), but often they aren’t aware of all the reasons why. Obesity can be a root cause to many ailments and issues including Diabetes, sleep loss, osteoarthritis and more. Today, we want to review several reasons why maintaining a healthy weight is key to a better life.
First of all, it’s important to note that there are many issues that stem from obesity. According to WebMD, this entire list can generate from being more than 20% over your “normal weight.”
- Heart disease and stroke
- High blood pressure
- Diabetes
- Some cancers
- Gallbladder disease and gallstones
- Osteoarthritis
- Gout
- Breathing problems, such as sleep apnea (when a person stops breathing for short episodes during sleep) and asthma
It is very plausible that not all of these issues will affect every person who is considered obese, however, any of them can make life unbearable. Also, it should be noted that some of these conditions are going to be more prevalent in those whose family members have a history of the conditions. The good thing is, most of these conditions are avoidable with proper nutrition and exercise and some are even reversible with concerted effort!
For now, let’s focus on two issues that illustrate the high cost of obesity; stroke and heart disease.
Stroke
Per Strokecenter.org, “More than 140,000 people die each year from stroke in the United States.” In fact, according to the same site, it is the “third leading cause of death in the United States.” This shouldn’t be surprising though as the American Heart Association has started all of the following:
- Almost 13 million (16.9%) of U.S. children ages 2 to 19 are obese.
- Nearly one in three (31.8%) U.S. children (23.9 million) ages 2 to 19 are overweight or obese.
- More than one-third (about 35%) of U.S. adults are obese (more than 78 million adults).
With obesity numbers like that, it’s clear why stroke is a common cause of death.
Heart Disease
While some are genetically predisposed to have heart disease, others increase their likelihood of contracting it. According to the American Heart Association, “In some people, diabetes makes other risk factors much worse.”
Risk factors for heart disease as listed out from the American Heart Association are: age, gender, family history (non-modifiable), high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, physical inactivity, obesity and overweight, smoking, Diabetes and poor diet (all modifiable).
In order to avoid paying a hefty life cost for obesity, consider changing the following seven pieces of your life (as recommended by the American Heart Association):
- Reduce blood sugar
- Control cholesterol
- Manage blood pressure
- Eat right
- Lose weight
- Get moving
High blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure are all issues that have been linked with obesity. Losing weight via a better diet and exercise routine will reduce these problems and lower your risk of issues like heart disease and stroke.
Other Issues
Other benefits to a healthier lifestyle include being able to sleep better by eliminating obesity-induced asthma and trouble breathing as well as less overall pain (from issues like pressure on joints).
Don’t wait until you start experiencing issues like osteoarthritis to correct your life choices. The earlier you make changes the better, as some are not fixable.
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