It is now known that obesity is not just an ordinary problem but a serious health hazard. Obesity raises the risks of a number of grave medical conditions such as heart disease and stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, gallbladder disease and gallstones, osteoarthritis, gout, and breathing problems like sleep apnea and asthma.
Statistics reveal that heart disease and stroke are the principal causes of death and disability among people in the United States. Obese people usually have high blood pressure, which often leads to heart disease and stroke. Extremely high cholesterol levels may also result in heart disease and that are linked with obesity. Obesity may also be responsible for angina and sudden death from heart disease or stroke in the absence of any signs or symptoms.
Obese people have far greater chances of developing type 2 diabetes than normal weight people, as it reduces the body's ability to control blood sugar. Type 2 diabetes may lead to premature death, heart disease, stroke, and blindness.
Obesity may cause several types of cancer. While obese women face the risks of cancer of the uterus, gallbladder, cervix, ovary, breast, and colon, their male counterparts may develop colorectal cancer and prostate cancer.
Although the reasons are still unclear, gallbladder disease is found to be more common among obese people. However, rapid or big weight loss can actually increase a person's chances of developing gallstones.
The extra kilos in an obese person exert additional pressure on knee, hip and lower back joints and wear away their protective cartilage resulting in osteoarthritis. Overweight people also have a tendency to develop gout.
Sleep apnea, which causes a person to snore heavily and to stop breathing for short periods during sleep, is also associated with obesity. It may cause daytime sleepiness and even heart failure.
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