Have you ever come across people especially women who prefer to remain overweight?
Some of them argue that being big makes their outfits look better on them, while others claim that their spouse prefers them to be big and fleshy.
Well, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, but you know what? The side effects of remaining overweight are real.
If you decide to remain overweight, it is my duty to let you know of the health risk you might be exposed to. Obesity happens gradually but awareness and prevention can keep you safe from health related issues. Some of these issues are:
- Type 2 diabetes which is a result of high blood sugar level in your body system
- Heart disease which can eventually cause stroke or even death
- Cancer
Type 2 diabetes and overweight
Type 2 diabetes is a condition where the blood sugar is above the normal level. An individual may suffer type 2 diabetes due to hereditary factors. If you know of any diabetic case in your family history, and you weigh as much as to cross the BMI borderline, you will do yourself plenty good to be wary of diabetes. Always do the following:
- Remove junks from your diet
- Workout a lot; and
- Avoid stress
It is not exactly clear why diabetes is related to overweight, however, having too much fat in the body can cause your cells to change and make them resistant to the hormone insulin. When you are resistant to insulin, your cells will no longer take up blood sugar.
Heart disease and overweight
An overweight person is more likely to develop coronary heart disease which is a condition where the coronary arteries become narrowed by a gradual build up of fatty material within their walls. Coronary heart disease can lead to heart issues such as angina and heart attack.
Heart disease does not represent a single disease, rather, it is used to describe several health problems that may affect your heart. Some of these problems include
- Heart failure
- Sudden cardiac death
- Abnormal heart beat rate
- Chest pain; and
- Heart attack
Cancer and overweight
Based on several observational studies, people who have higher amount of body fat are usually at risk of cancer such as liver cancer, kidney cancer, colorectal cancer and breast cancer. Link to cancer.gov
The relationship between overweight and cancer can be traced to situations such as chronic low level inflammation – a common case with obese people – causes DNA damage where antioxidant levels in the body are lower than required. And DNA damage is the leasing cause of cancer.
There is a pretty thin line between overweight and obesity. Make sure to calculate your BMI at least once a year. BMI calculators are available online and at health centres. Below is a typical representation of BMI chart.
Underweight below 18.5 Normal 18.5 – 24.9 Overweight 25.0 – 29.9 Obesity 30.0
The good news is that all of these health risks are preventable if you eat healthy foods such as fruits and vegetable, have a consistent fitness routine and live a overall healthy lifestyle.