The Health Dangers of Carrying Extra Weight

Are you carrying around some extra weight?
You aren’t alone!
What are the downsides of extra weight?Besides slowing you down, making it harder to move, not fitting in your “skinny jeans” and not being happy with what you see in the mirror, even a few pounds can increase your risk of some serious diseases:

Cardiovascular disease

• Even being a little overweight requires the heart to work harder, as it must pump through an extra mile of blood vessels per each extra pound.
• Normal adults pump 5 liters of blood through the heart in one minute, but an Obese adult must pump up to 7-8 liters-of blood in one minute!
• Fat tissue plays an active role in producing cytokines and other chemicals that cause a chronic inflammatory state, adding to the increased risk of heart and blood vessel disease.
• Changes in heart function occur as fat tissue accumulates in excess amounts, even if there are no obvious other weight-related conditions present.
• So it is no surprise that obesity predisposes you to heart problems such as coronary heart disease, heart failure, and even sudden death.

High Blood Pressure / Hypertension

• One third of all hypertension cases are related to obesity, according to a review from the Framingham Heart Study.
• The risk of high blood pressure is greatest in those with upper body and abdominal fat.
• High blood pressure greatly increases your risk of blood vessel damage leading to heart attack, stroke, or kidney failure.
• Good news: losing two to three pounds can result in small decreases in blood pressure. Even a modest weight loss of 5-10 percent can reduce your blood pressure 5-10%

Diabetes

• Type 2 Diabetes (non-insulin-dependent) results when there are high levels of sugar in the blood. It is also called insulin resistance because the fat cells stop responding effectively to insulin, causing the blood sugar to rise.
• An estimated 70 percent of diabetes risk in the U.S. can be attributed to excess weight, with 67 percent have a BMI greater than 27.
• Overweight with belly fat is the most significant risk factor in developing diabetes.
• Good news: Weight loss of just 5% or more of total body weight improves blood sugar control, decreases need for diabetes medication, and improves quality of life.

Chronic Inflammation and some types of Cancer

• People with obesity often have chronic inflammatory conditions that cause oxidative stress which can lead to some cancers.
• Fat tissue produces excess amounts of hormones, and at high levels have been associated with increased risk of cancer.