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Health
Risks of being overweight-Part(1) |
If
you are overweight, you are more likely to develop certain health
problems. You can improve your health by losing as little as 10 to 20
pounds.
Weighing too much
may increase your risk for developing many health problems. If you are
overweight or obese on a body mass index (BMI) chart, you may be at risk for:
-
Type
2 diabetes
-
Heart
disease and stroke
-
Cancer
-
Sleep
apnea
-
Osteoarthritis
-
Gallbladder
disease
-
Fatty
liver disease.
You
can lower your health risks by losing as little as 10 to 20 pounds.
Top
What
is it?
Type
2 diabetes used to be called adult-onset diabetes or noninsulin-dependent
diabetes. It is the most common type of diabetes in the U.S. Type 2
diabetes is a disease in which blood sugar levels are above normal. High
blood sugar is a major cause of early death, heart disease, kidney
disease, stroke, and blindness.
How
is it linked to overweight?
More
than 80 percent of people with type 2 diabetes are overweight. It is not
known exactly why people who are overweight are more likely to suffer
from this disease. It may be that being overweight causes cells to
change, making them less effective at using sugar from the blood. This
then puts stress on the cells that produce insulin (a hormone that
carries sugar from the blood to cells) and makes them gradually fail.
What
can weight loss do?
You
can lower your risk for developing type 2 diabetes by losing weight and
increasing the amount of physical activity you do. If you have type 2
diabetes, losing weight and becoming more physically active can help you
control your blood sugar levels. Losing weight and exercising more may
also allow you to reduce the amount of diabetes medication you take.
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What
is it?
Heart
disease means that the heart and circulation (blood flow) are not
functioning normally. If you have heart disease, you may suffer from a
heart attack, congestive heart failure, sudden cardiac death, angina
(chest pain), or abnormal heart rhythm. During a stroke, blood and
oxygen do not flow normally to the brain, possibly causing paralysis
or death. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S., and
stroke is the third leading cause.
How
is it linked to overweight?
People
who are overweight are more likely to suffer from high blood pressure,
high levels of triglycerides (blood fats) and LDL cholesterol (a
fat-like substance often called the "bad cholesterol"), and
low levels of HDL cholesterol (the "good cholesterol").
These are all risk factors for heart disease and stroke. In addition,
people with more body fat have higher blood levels of substances that
cause inflammation. Inflammation in blood vessels and throughout the
body may raise heart disease risk.
What
can weight loss do?
Losing
5 to 15 percent of your weight can lower your chances for developing
heart disease or having a stroke. If you weigh 200 pounds, this means
losing as little as 10 pounds. Weight loss may improve your blood
pressure, triglyceride, and cholesterol levels; improve how your heart
works and your blood flows; and decrease inflammation throughout your
body.
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Cancer
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What
is it?
Cancer
occurs when cells in one part of the body, such as the colon, grow
abnormally or out of control and possibly spread to other parts of the
body, such as the liver. Cancer is the second leading cause of death in
the U.S.
How
is it linked to overweight?
Being
overweight may increase the risk of developing several types of cancer,
including cancers of the colon, esophagus, and kidney. Overweight is
also linked with uterine and postmenopausal breast cancer in women.
Gaining weight during adult life increases the risk for several of these
cancers. Being overweight also may increase the risk of dying from some
cancers. It is not known exactly how being overweight increases cancer
risk. It may be that fat cells make hormones that affect cell growth and
lead to cancer. Also, eating or physical activity habits that may lead
to being overweight may also contribute to cancer risk.
What
can weight loss do?
Avoiding
weight gain may prevent a rise in cancer risk. Weight loss, and healthy
eating and physical activity habits, may lower cancer risk.
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Contd...
Health
Risks of being overweight-Part (II)
