What is Obesity?
Before we discuss the many ways obesity affects health we should define what it is. Are you obese or just overweight? Obesity is generally measured by a BMI or Body Mass Index. This takes in to account your height in addition to your weight. You can calcu;late your BMI here.
If your BMI is 25 or above you are classed as overweight and if it is 30 or above you are obese.
The Ways Obesity Affects Health
You probably know many of the ways that obesity affects health but some may surprise you. Here are eleven of the most common and important factors. The greatest risk of being overweight or obese is death. The WHO say at least 2.8 million people worldwide die as a result of being overweight or obese.
1.Energy
Carrying around excess body fat decreases your energy level. Imagine carrying around a 10lb sack of potatoes all day. You would soon feel tired and it is no different if you are “wearing” all that excess weight.
2.Cardiovascular
Your heart has to work overtime to move that extra weight. Obesity has a harmful effect on your entire cardiovascular system. Your heart, lungs, and blood vessels including arteries, veins and capillaries will all be affected. Your risk of heart disease or stroke are greatly increased. This is the most common cause of death that can be attributed to obesity.
3.Breathing
You may develop breathing problems and you will have less energy to carry out normal day to day activities. Even going to the park to play with the kids may become difficult.
4.Sleeping
You may have problems sleeping. Snoring can result from being overweight. This is a result of the breathing difficulties. An even more serious manifestation is sleep apnea which can cause you to stop breathing for short periods during sleep.
5. Joints
Your joints will suffer with musculoskeletal disorders especially osteoarthritis. Carrying round extra weight will put strain on your joints. Your knees and hips can suffer. Obesity has also been linked to gout. In gout uric acid collects in the joints of the toes when it can’t be excreted.
6. Infertility
Obesity can cause infertility. Perhaps one of the less well known ways obesity affects health. If you are having trouble conceiving you may want to lose some weight to improve your chances.
7. Type II Diabetes
You may know the incidence of Type II Diabetes is linked to obesity because it is well documented. If you are pre-diabetic and worried about developing the disease, changing your diet and losing weight can help. You may find that even minor changes to your lifestyle can get your HbA1C back in to the normal range within a few weeks.
8. Cancer
Extra weight also increases your risk for certain types of cancer. Obese men have a higher risk of developing colon, rectum, or prostate cancer, while obese women have a higher risk of developing gallbladder, breast, uterine, cervical, or ovarian cancer.
9. Surgery and Incontinence
Being overweight and obesity are associated with increased risks of incontinence and an increased risk from surgery.
10. Mobility and discrimination
Your quality of life can be affected through limited mobility and decreased physical endurance. Sadly you may also be affected by social, academic, and job discrimination. People will often make judgements about ability just by the way you look.
11. Self Esteem
Being overweight may have an effect on your self-esteem. that in turn, will have a negative effect on your overall health. Decreased self esteem can make the situation worse as you may turn to comfort eating and put on even more weight.
Shocking Statistics About Obesity
If you are overweight or obese you are certainly not alone. Obesity is a serious problem whose severity is as lethal as most pandemics. The 2020 pandemic demonstrates the risks as the mortality rate is greatly increased in those who are overweight and have associated health conditions.
Even without a pandemic obesity is just as deadly as smoking, AIDS, or any other of the slow deaths that exist in modern society.
You can try to predict your own likelihood of developing obesity in your life using statistics. The factors that will influence your chances of developing obesity include gender, age, race and even where you live. In addition to these factors that you may have less control over, there are also lifestyle choices including physical activity and healthy food choices.
Statistics that demonstrate the growing obesity problem
According to the WHO over 300 million adults were estimated to be overweight worldwide in 2003. By 2016 the figure had reached 1.9 billion overweight. 650million were obese.
The extent of the problem varies from place to place. The USA is at the head of the obesity charts but it is now a growing problem in lower income countries.
More than 60 percent of Americans aged 20 years and older are overweight. 25% are obese (American Medical Association).
38 million preschool children were classed as overweight in 2019. This is a particularly alarming stat as obese children tend to become overweight adults.
Although the problems are growing year on year, they have actually been prevalent for two decades. Looking at the historical stats shows that there were worrying trends back twenty years ago.
Historical Statistics about Obesity in Men
24.1% of men aged 20-34 were obese in the US 1999-2000 (Health United States, 2003, NCHS)
25.2% of men aged 35-44 were obese in the US 1999-2000 (Health United States, 2003, NCHS)
30.1% of men aged 45-54 were obese in the US 1999-2000 (Health United States, 2003, NCHS)
32.9% of men aged 55-64 were obese in the US 1999-2000 (Health United States, 2003, NCHS)
33.4% of men aged 65-74 were obese in the US 1999-2000 (Health United States, 2003, NCHS)
20.4% of men aged over 75 were obese in the US 1999-2000 (Health United States, 2003, NCHS)
Historical Statistics about Obesity in Women
25.8% of women aged 20-34 were obese in the US 1999-2000 (Health United States, 2003, NCHS)
33.9% of women aged 35-44 were obese in the US 1999-2000 (Health United States, 2003, NCHS)
38.1% of women aged 45-54 were obese in the US 1999-2000 (Health United States, 2003, NCHS)
43.1% of women aged 55-64 were obese in the US 1999-2000 (Health United States, 2003, NCHS)
The ways obesity affects health of the economy also
The obesity crisis is important. Not only will obesity affect your personal health, the way you live your life and limit the things you can do but, it also affects the health of the economy. As mentioned, obesity can increase the chance of many diseases and long standing health conditions and treating these diseases costs a lot of money.
In the United Kingdom obesity related conditions are putting huge strain on the NHS. Cardiovascular diseases and Type II Diabetes are absorbing much of the health budget and taking money away from other areas. With a limited budget it is a problem when so many resources are going to treat obesity related conditions. Obesity is a preventable disease that each of us should take responsibility for avoiding.
It is now the case that some operations are not offered to patients unless they lose weight first. You will not get a knee replacement if you are obese until you shift some pounds. This is not entirely a financial decision but down to the chance of a satisfactory outcome.
If you are paying for your own healthcare. like in the USA, then considering the financial implications may help incentivize you to lose weight. Your weight will be taken in to account when insurance premiums are calculated.
How to beat obesity
There are many ways to begin a weight loss program. If you are seriously obese then you should seek medical advice before you begin making drastic changes.
You need to use more calories than you consume if you want to lose weight. So basically move more and eat less is actually good advice. The important thing is for you to find a safe and easy weight loss system that you will stick to.
Increase activity
You don’t need to go to a gym if you don’t want to. Build more activity in to your day to day life. You can begin with making some easy changes and work up from there.
Walk or cycle rather than take the motor. Use the stairs rather than take the elevator. Set attainable goals so that you are motivated to continue.
Take up a sport. Swimming is a good choice to begin with as it won’t put pressure on your joints. As your fitness levels improve you can move up to walking or jogging. There are reasons why walking is a better choice than jogging. Dancing is great exercise. Work your way up to 150 minutes of exercise per week.
Improve your diet
You should keep a food diary for a week or two. This will allow you to see patterns in your eating patterns that may need addressing. Sometimes bad food choices are associated with certain actions.
Do you always reach for chocolate or crisps when you sit down to watch a movie? Knowing this in advance means you can plan to have a healthier option available beforehand. Fruit, nuts or carrot sticks would be good choices.
Plan your meals in advance and take a shopping list with you when you go to the store. Eat before you go so you are not so tempted by random things. Swap some of your “naughty” treats for healthier options like fruit or nuts.
If you are a parent you should consider not only the example you are setting your children but also the effect you are having on their future health. Making sure your children have a healthy diet, without excess sugar, and also that they get enough exercise is the best gift you can give them.
You may like this article on what to do when dieting doesn’t work.
Hopefully you should now see that there are many ways obesity affects health. How you act today and the health and weight loss decisions you make will decide how successful you are at avoiding or combating the effects of obesity in the future.
