The Long Term Harmful Effects of Obesity

Obesity is usually thought of as a condition in which the person does not appear very pleasant on the outside but the diverse and harmful effects it can have on the body of an obese person are enough to make you realize that this is something which should be completely avoided if you want to live a healthy and long life.

Obesity is defined as the condition in which a person gains so much weight as compared to their height that they are prone to a lot of diseases and adverse effects because of it. It is measured by a mathematical formula which is called the body mass index (BMI). BMI is the ratio of a person’s weight to his/her height. The result is compared to pre-defined ranges of BMI into three levels: Underweight, Normal and Overweight. The person who comes in the range of the Overweight category is termed as obese.

Obesity is usually caused by the large intake of high-calorie foods and drinks with little or no exertion. The result is that extra fats get accumulated in the body. This can have very serious effects on the health of the obese person. Some of the harmful effects or diseases that may be experienced by obese persons are:

• Diabetes – Diabetes is a disease that is triggered because of extra weight. In this disease, the body stops making natural insulin which results in the body having high blood sugar levels.

• Hypertension – Hypertension or high blood pressure is the condition in which the blood pressure of the human body remains high which can lead to other complications.

• Heart Diseases – The human heart is a very sensitive machine and obesity it can affect its various functions very negatively.

• Stroke – Stroke is the condition when a blood clot gets stuck in an artery near the brain which stops blood from flowing to the brain which can lead to death as well.

• Neurological Disorders – Obesity can cause many other neurological disorders as well such as dementia, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease etc.

• Cancer – Many types of cancer can also be the result of obesity.

• Skin Diseases – Some types of skin diseases are also common among obese people.

• Depression and Psychiatric Diseases – Because obese people are ridiculed by many for their fat body, they tend to be overcome by depression and other psychiatric diseases.
These are just some of the diseases that may occur as a result of obesity. According to various studies, obesity is thought of as the number one cause of death all over the world. It causes many other diseases which in turn can lead to death; this attributes to the high mortality rate among obese people. Getting rid of obesity is not such a difficult task; you just have to put your complete mind and effort into it. You have to start eating less calorie foods, exercise regularly to digest all the intake of calories and try to maintain a healthy lifestyle.