Obesity has become an epidemic in response to bigger portions, fast food chains and paying less attention to ingredients. There are so many health risks involved and people don’t realize that simply being obese can literally rob you of valuable years. Even though it’s never an easy topic to discuss, there is a fundamental need to address this problem. The best way to do this is to discover the consequences of a certain lifestyle. Take a look at the top 10 reasons you should lose weight, or at least start to control it, and find some inspiration to get to feeling great!
1. Decrease the Risk of Cancer
Body fat produces estrogen, a hormone that has been linked to endometrial and breast cancer according to the University of Texas. Obese women are at a higher risk simply because of the weight. It has also been discovered that the weight gain hormone, leptin, increases the chances of cancer cell development. Apart from just losing weight women can consider using birth control pills with approval from their doctor. They contain both progestin and estrogen, a combination that decreases the risk by 50%.
2. Help your Mind Stay Clear
It is strange to think how obesity can affect the mind as well. Obese people in their forties have a 260% increased
chance of suffering from dementia. This is especially true for people with large mid-sections. Why they have an increased risk is still unknown, but scientists are leaning towards the theory that it’s routed in the hormones which are produced specifically by abdominal fat.
3. Keep your Heart Safe
There is simply no getting around the fact that obesity causes a lot of strain on the heart. The Journal of the American College of Cardiology recently published a study that showed obese people are more likely to suffer from heart attacks much earlier in life. In fact, they can expect the risk of a heart attack to start 12 years earlier than for an average person.
4. Depression is influenced by Obesity
Depression affects thousands of people around the world, but research shows that more obese people are victims to depression. It could be the physical restrictions they have to live with or the ridicule they have to endure from society, but they have a 25% increased risk of developing a mood disorder. According to researchers there is a definite association between depression and obesity.
5. Exercising won’t be so difficult
With exercising being such a big part of maintaining quality of life for everyone, being overweight won’t make this a very pleasant experience. Apart from the obvious physical difficulty, obese people have to be very careful not to sustain injuries. There is also the matter of feeling very self-conscious when going to the gym.
6. Experience Better Medical Care
Even though this is a problem that speaks to doctors, it’s still a problem. It has been proven through research and studies that many doctors automatically regard obese people as having unpleasant characteristics. Some of them include unhygienic, hostility and even dishonesty. A survey based on 2,500 obese patients showed that 69% of them reported bias consultations. In addition to spending less time with obese patients doctors tend to avoid doing certain exams.
7. Put Less Pressure on Organs
It’s already been established that obesity puts a lot of strain on the heart, but it also triples the chances of gradually losing kidney function. This is irreversible and better known as chronic renal failure. It has been estimated that 11% of CRF cases in women was caused by obesity. In addition, a high body mass index also increases the risk of gallbladder disease.
8. Strain on Joints
There is no way to really explain how all the extra weight cause severe pressure on joints. The more pressure the joints have to hold the less they function normally. This is particularly true for people that aren’t really active. In 1971 the number of arthritis cases caused by obesity made up about 3%. By 2002 the numbers increased to 18%. Stay as active as possible and keep the joints strong.
9. Consider the Money that You Will Save
As if it’s not enough that obesity puts strain on joints and organs, it can also increase the chances of becoming a diabetic. In order to control type 1 or type 2 diabetes healthcare will be needed, and for obese people the premiums are likely to be higher. If this is the case then consult with a doctor about alternative medication that doesn’t cost as much.
10. Sleep Apnea and Asthma
Obesity is the most frequent cause for sleep apnea (a condition where sleep is disturbed due to a lack of oxygen) and a recent study showed that medication used to control asthma is 40% less effective when it comes to over-weight people. Even the risk of asthma has a direct connection with obesity. An increase in vitamin D can help with strengthening lung function, but in the end the weight has to be reduced.
Conclusion
On the optimistic side there are still quite a lot of healthy variations to choose from and the final decision remains with you. Whether we blame it on modern technology for making us lazy or the processed food, the fact remains that obesity comes with so many unnecessary risks. Heart attacks, cancer, depression, do we really need to add these risks to an already stressful life?
To put this into better perspective, the Center of Disease Control released information stating that the difference in calorie intake for women between 1971 and 2004 is 300 per day. This is a scary number if you consider the direction society is going in. The bottom line is to measure the time you eat, make the distinction whether it’s a craving or actual hunger and after clocking out from your desk job take the stairs and walk a few blocks.
Obesity is one of the toughest things to fight and the main source of support comes from the person that has to lose that weight – you!. But that makes feeling healthy so much more worth it!
