How Will Obesity Affect You and What Can You Do?
By Roy
Barker
1. Carrying around excess body fat will decrease your
energy level. Having just 10 lbs. of excess body fat
is like carrying around a 10-lb. bag of lard.
2. Your heart has to work overtime to support
the extra weight. Obesity has a harmful effect on your
entire cardiovascular system. Your cardiovascular system includes
your heart, your lungs, and all of your arteries and veins.
3. You may develop breathing problems. For example,
sleep apnea is a breathing problem that causes you to stop breathing
for short instances during sleep. Sleep apnea can also cause snoring.
4. Extra weight will take a toll on your joints.
Obesity has also been linked to gout, which is when uric acid that
cannot be excreted collects in the joints of the toes.
5. Obesity can cause infertility.
6. Type 2 Diabetes has been linked to obesity.
7. Extra weight will put you at a higher risk
for certain types of cancer. Obese men have a higher risk
of developing colon, rectum, or prostate cancer. Obese women have
a higher risk of developing gallbladder, breast, uterine, cervical,
or ovarian cancer.
8. Being overweight and obesity are associated with
increased risks of gall bladder disease, incontinence, increased
surgical risk, and depression.
9. Obesity can affect the quality of life through
limited mobility and decreased physical endurance as well as through
social, academic, and job discrimination.
10. Being overweight may have an effect on your self-esteem
that, in turn, will have a negative effect on your overall health.
The Sad Statistics about Obesity
If you are overweight or obese you are certainly not
alone. Obesity is a serious degenerative disorder whose severity
rate is as lethal as most plagues.
Obesity is just as deadly as smoking, AIDS
or any other of the slow deaths that are caused by contemporary
afflictions.
The value of examining statistics is that it can help
you predict your own likelihood of developing obesity in your life
time or how you may have developed it as a result of gender, age,
race, geographical location or other predisposing factors.A look
at the following statistics will show you. Not only is the world
round, it is also fat!
The Prevalence of Obesity
39.8 million American adults or more than 57% of North
American adults are overweight (American Medical Association).
More than 60 percent of Americans aged 20 years and
older are overweight. One-quarter of American adults are also obese
(American Medical Association).
Over 300 million adults are estimated to be overweight
worldwide (WHO World Health Report, 2003).
11% of children are obese in the USA (World Heart
Federation Fact-Sheet, 2002).
50% of women aged 20 to 74 are overweight or obese
in the US (The National Women’s Health Information Center).
Statistics about Men 24.1% of men aged 20-34 are obese
in the US 1999-2000 (Health United States, 2003, NCHS)
25.2% of men aged 35-44 are obese in the US 1999-2000
(Health United States, 2003, NCHS)
30.1% of men aged 45-54 are obese in the US 1999-2000
(Health United States, 2003, NCHS)
32.9% of men aged 55-64 are obese in the US 1999-2000
(Health United States, 2003, NCHS)
33.4% of men aged 65-74 are obese in the US 1999-2000
(Health United States, 2003, NCHS)
20.4% of men aged over 75 are obese in the US 1999-2000
(Health United States, 2003, NCHS)
Statistics about Women
Obesity prevalence statistics by age group for women
in the USA:
25.8% of women aged 20-34 are obese in the US 1999-2000
(Health United States, 2003, NCHS)
33.9% of women aged 35-44 are obese in the US 1999-2000
(Health United States, 2003, NCHS)
38.1% of women aged 45-54 are obese in the US 1999-2000
(Health United States, 2003, NCHS)
43.1% of women aged 55-64 are obese in the US 1999-2000
(Health United States, 2003, NCHS)
If you believe these figures are concerning and would
like to consider a path of safe and easy weight loss then you should
think and act carefully today. Remember, today is a gift...that's
why it's called the present! What you do today will decided how
successful you are with your health and weight loss decisions.
