by Tiffany Dixon

Created on: April 02, 2010

Obesity Causes Health Problems

 Obesity can affect any age group or ethnic group in the world and does. Obesity is an excessive amount of fat stored in a person’s body. This excess fat is due to taking in more calories than their body works off and sometimes from not getting enough exercise, it could also be due to a health issue.

 There are so many diseases that are a threat and danger to anyone that suffers from being overweight or obese.

 Your heart and your blood flow is the major problem that being overweight affects.  If you are overweight the heart finds it difficult to pump the blood; the heavier you are the harder your heart has to work. This can lead to your heart becoming enlarged and then you find yourself suffering from Cardiovascular Diseases, all because you are dangerously overweight.

 You might have another condition brought on by obesity such as Gastrointestinal Disease. Most people that live with GERD will have chronic stomach pain or heartburn. It is a major problem for so many people and being overweight only exacerbates the effects of this disease, making it worse for sufferers.

 Being overweight could cause you to have an excess of fat to build up in your liver which causes inflammation of your liver. This condition is very dangerous as it will scar your liver. This symptom cannot be treated and often leads to liver cancer in overweight patients.

 You have to realize that carrying around excess weight will affect anyone’s bones and muscles. Pain will develop in your legs and back from carrying such a load around. It will even cause severe arthritis in overweight persons, much more often than in people that are their correct body weight. This is called Musculoskeletal Disease. This disease is very dangerous for anyone that suffers from it due to being overweight or obese.

 The second most affected condition associated with being overweight is Respiratory Disease which causes your breathing to become obstructed. Sleep apnea is a common part of respiratory disease which causes a person to stop breathing when they are asleep. An obese or overweight person is highly susceptible to developing asthma, which is a blockage of a person’s airway.

 Many obese people suffer from low self-esteem and depression. This is a psychological effect of being overweight which causes many people to not do as much as they should to try and lose weight. Motivation to exercise or follow a proper diet is hard to find when you are depressed about being overweight.

 You realize that you only need to take in the food it takes to fuel your body so you take in excess calories. It is important to follow a regular exercise program to burn off these excess calories to help you prevent or combat becoming overweight. Eating a healthy diet without a lot of empty calories will also go a long way in helping you in the fight against obesity. 

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