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Now Is The Time To Start Slimming
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| Arthritis: For every 2-pound increase in weight, the risk of arthritis increases by about 10 percent. | |
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| Breathing Problems: Sleep apnea (that is, interrupted breathing during sleeping) is more common in obese persons. Obesity is associated with a higher prevalence of asthma. | |
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| Cancer: Obesity is associated with an increased risk for some types of cancer including endometrial (cancer of the lining of the uterus), colon, gall bladder, prostate, kidney, and post-menopausal breast cancer. Women gaining more than 20 pounds from age 18 to midlife double their risk of post-menopausal breast cancer, compared to women whose weight remains stable. | |
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| Diabetes: A weight increase of 11-18 pounds raises a person's risk of developing type 2 diabetes to twice that of individuals who have not gained weight. Over 80% of people with diabetes are overweight or obese. This may account for the newly invented word, "diabesity"®, which signifies the close association between obesity and diabetes. | |
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| Heart Disease: The risk of heart attack, congestive heart failure, sudden cardiac death, angina or chest pain is increased in persons who are overweight or obese (BMI greater than 25). High blood pressure is twice as common in adults who are obese than in those who are at a healthy weight. Obesity is associated with high triglycerides and decreased HDL cholesterol. | |
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| Premature Death: An estimated 300,000 American deaths a year are related to obesity. The risk of premature death rises with increasing weight. Even moderate weight gain (10 to 20 pounds for a person of average height) increases the risk of death, particularly among adults aged 30 to 64 years. Individuals who are obese (BMI greater than 30) have a 50 to 100% increased risk of premature death from all causes, compared to individuals with a healthy weight. | |
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| Psychological Effects: Emotional suffering may be one of the most painful parts of obesity. American society emphasizes physical appearance and often equates attractiveness with slimness, especially for women. Such messages make overweight people feel unattractive. | |
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| Risks during Pregnancy: Obesity in pregnancy is associated with a higher risk of death in both the baby and the mother. It also raises the risk of high blood pressure in the Mom, by 10 times. Obesity during pregnancy is also associated with an increased risk of birth defects, such as spina bifida. | |
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| Self Regard: One obesity study asked severely obese persons to take a forced-choice questionnaire. That means, they had to make a choice between being at their present weight or having some other given illness. The results were astounding. Although there were some variations, every obese person said that they would rather be blind or have one leg amputated than be at their present heavy weight. Most interestingly, every person would rather be a poor thin person than be a morbidly obese millionaire. | |
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