Consequences of Obesity

Obesity, in its simplest form, can be defined as a condition that occurs due to accumulation of excess fat in the body. It is considered as one of the leading causes of several other medical conditions and health concerns all over the world, specially in the USA. Along with adults, childhood obesity is also one of the major concerns among developed nations in the world. One may not be aware, but, obesity and the complications arising from it can also lead to death.

Causes of Obesity
Modern-day sedentary lifestyle is the most prominent reasons for obesity in people. Complete lack of exercise and physical activity in adults, and lack of sports activities in children leads to excess accumulation of fat in the body. This occurs as the excess calories and fats in the body do not get burnt regularly. On the other hand, diet and eating habits are other major causes of excess weight gain. One should remember that fast food and child obesity are related to each other; in fact, regular intake of junk or fast food is one of the major culprits in gaining that extra calories and fats. Secondly, abstaining from intake of nutritious diet and healthy foods leads to weight gain. Apart from these, heredity, genes, psychological factors, etc., are the other causes of obesity.

Effects of Obesity
There are numerous medical or health consequences caused due to obesity in children and adults. The following are the most important ones:

Heart Diseases
Heart diseases like a heart attack, coronary heart failure, etc., are some of the major consequences of obesity in people. It leads to hypertension or high blood pressure which is one of the leading causes of heart diseases. Secondly, it also results in high blood cholesterol which is also one of the major reasons of heart diseases. As obesity is the root cause of other medical conditions, it is believed to indirectly result in heart diseases and death.

Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease that results in the complete break down of the cartilage in the joints. This condition is usually found in middle-aged people. Obesity is considered as one of the reasons for osteoarthritis, as the excess weight gained exerts excess pressure on the joints, specially the knee joints, and wears them away.

Diabetes
There is also a co-relation between obesity and diabetes. When a person is obese, the extra weight in his body puts pressure on the body's ability to control blood sugar using insulin. This makes the person prone type 2 diabetes.

Apart from these, effects of obesity also include possibility of a stroke, cancer, sleep apnea, gout, gallbladder disease, reproductive complications, breathing difficulties, urinary incontinence, etc. On the other hand, it has also been observed that there are several psychological consequences of childhood obesity like depression, low confidence, low self-esteem, introversion, etc. One may also suffer from day-to-day issues related to obesity like difficulty in movement, discrimination and isolation, etc.

If one wishes to prevent the aforementioned consequences of obesity, weight loss is the only effective method. Having a nutritious and balanced diet and exercising regularly helps in the treatment and prevention of obesity to a great extent. Lastly, as a concluding note, one should remember the old clichéd saying: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure! Take care!