Health Consequences of Obesity

Some of the possible health problems stemming from obesity include type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, high blood triglycerides, high blood pressure and stroke. Obesity also raises your risk of certain types of cancer. Obese men are more likely than normal-weight peers to die from cancer of the colon, rectum and prostate. Obese women are more likely than non-obese women to die from cancer of the gallbladder, breast, uterus, cervix and ovaries. Death from some cancers may be more likely because obesity makes the cancers harder to detect in the early stages (for example, the initial small lump of breast cancer may not be felt in an obese woman). Recent studies show obesity increases the risk of Alzheimer's-type dementia.

Other disease and health problems linked to obesity include:

• Gallbladder disease and gallstones

• Osteoarthritis, back, hip and knee joints deteriorate, partly a result of excess weight on the joints

• Gout, or joint pain, caused by deposits of uric acid crystals in the joint space; most often experienced as arthritis in one joint

• Sleep apnea, a disorder characterized by loud snoring and multiple short periods when breathing stops during sleep

• Psychological and social problems

According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, if you are 40 percent overweight, you are twice as likely to die prematurely as an average-weight person. The more obese a person is, the more likely he or she is to have health problems.

Emotional aspects of obesity

One of the most painful aspects of obesity may be the emotional suffering. People often equate attractiveness with thinness, especially in women. This message, intended or not, makes many overweight people feel unattractive. Many assume that obese people are gluttonous, lazy or both. However, more and more evidence contradicts this assumption.

Obese people may face prejudice or discrimination at work, at school, while job hunting and in social situations. Feelings of rejection, shame or depression are common. Founded in 1969, the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance has been striving to eliminate discrimination based on body size and to provide fat people with the tools for self-empowerment through public education, advocacy and member support.

Related Articles What Is Obesity? What Causes Obesity? Reversing Obesity Obesity Treatments Finding a Sound Weight-Loss Program Cancer Prevention: The New Evidence

External Sources National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance

This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.

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