Obesity and overweight behavior of health problems that increase the risk factors for more or less serious diseases. Obesity above all is a condition linked to a prolonged incorrect dietary lifestyle and a lack of physical activity.

Excessive and uncontrolled weight can cause:

I have already written in the article on how to evaluate your ideal weight and determine if you are obese or overweight: How to reach and maintain a healthy weight.

Type 2 diabetes

type 2 diabetes (non-insulin dependent) is linked to excess sugar (glucose) in the blood. Family history history can detect risk factors in competition with a too sedentary lifestyle and poor nutrition.

In countries with a consumerist economy, type 2 diabetes is common among overweight and obese people. According to some researches, the cause is not to be found in a simple correlation, it may be that the overweight condition makes the cells more resistant to insulin, letting the blood sugar circulate instead of being assimilated as it should happen in a normal context. This leads to an early decay of cellular processes, lowering life expectancy. If you are at risk of diabetes 2 both for family history and for lasting excess weight , it is worthwhile to undertake a process of eliminating all excess fat.

Hypertension

Blood pressure can be defined as the force the heart uses to push blood against the walls of the arteries. The heart has to fight with the force of gravity but also with the obstacles placed in the way of the organism. An overweight body requires more thrust and hypertension is a sneaky and silent enemy that over time causes more or less serious illnesses.

Overweight loads the working kidneys by affecting blood pressure. I dedicated the article How to lower blood pressure in a natural way, in which you can find practical and immediate advice to bring the values ​​down and bring them back to their natural bed.

To significantly affect pressure you can embark on a slimming path, choosing a healthier and more balanced nutritional plan.

Cardiovascular disease and stroke

The heart is the organ responsible for blood circulation , essential for all cellular processes in our body. Your health is therefore essential for a long and healthy life.

heart disease are of various types, such as narrowing of blood vessels. Common and serious diseases (included among the leading causes of death in all countries) are heart attack, severe arrhythmia, heart failure, angina pectoris, ischemias.

Stroke to the brain is debilitating at best, but if not taken quickly it can lead to death (due to interrupted blood flow to the brain). As in the case of an ischemia caused by a blood clot that blocks blood flow. In other cases it can lead to internal bleeding.

By losing weight you can avoid high blood pressure and plaque build-up in the arteries, which obstruct circulation.

Tumors

Cancer occurs when cells in an organ, such as the colon, grow abnormally. From the initial site, the tumor can spread to other organs, putting the organism in serious danger. After cardiovascular problems, cancer is the second leading cause of death in many countries such as Italy.

Cancers associated with being overweight are:

• Breast cancer (in postmenopausal women)
• colon and rectal cancer
• kidney and gallbladder cancer
• liver cancer
• cancer of the endometrium (the lining of the uterus)

Those who are overweight need to revise their lifestyle, since behind the extra pounds hides a poor diet and a lack of physical activity. Incorrect nutrition focused on junk food, excess red meat and sausages can favor the onset of some cancers; the absence of physical activity weakens the body over time.

Steatosis

The liver is the main gland in our body. Its functions are so many and complex that it is useless to report them here. It is connected to the digestive system, acts as a scavenger, produces red blood cells and bile, essential in the assimilation of fats.

Unfortunately, he is also fragile, very exposed, can suffer numerous attacks due to an incorrect lifestyle (for example, excessive smoking and alcohol). A common condition in overweight people is fatty liver, due to the accumulation of triglycerides .

Behind steatosis there is poor digestion of fats, an excess of alcohol, carbohydrates and fats. Balancing nutrition by neutralizing the harmful effects of lack of moderation can help bring the liver back to normal size over time, making it more efficient.

Other diseases and conditions related to obesity

Kidney disease, osteoarthritis and sleep apnea are conditions linked to obesity. In the case of osteoarthritis, which cause joint pain and stiffness in the joints, it’s easy to see why. The human skeleton is fragile (just think of the recurrence of sprains and fractures) and it is not made to bear so much weight. The problems easily extend to the lower back and back.

sleep apneas are involuntary pauses in breathing that occur during the phases of sleep. They can be linked to particular conditions, such as obstruction of the nasal septum, but overweight is often a cause. Excess fat in the neck can result in a restriction of the respiratory tract which could lead to inflammation.

The kidneys can also be burdened in their workload. Be aware that they are responsible for too high blood pressure in case of kidney failure. Indeed, the link between high blood pressure and kidney function is very interesting and should make us think:

With high blood pressure, blood vessels become thicker and narrow. This narrowing damages the blood vessels in the kidneys, with the result that the kidneys increase the secretion of renin (an enzyme responsible for regulating blood pressure) which leads to sodium retention which, in turn, causes blood pressure to rise. This vicious circle is obviously bound to lead to other problems over time.

To make the kidneys suffer less, it is advisable to regulate the consumption of salt, sugar and always keep blood pressure under control.

excess weight in pregnancy increases the chances of developing gestational diabetes or raising blood pressure is a clinical sign that could be attributable to preeclampsia, increasing the chances of having to resort to a caesarean section (with related post-partum recovery times).

To conclude …

Obesity is a problem of no small importance that can develop from an early age, and repeat itself with similar behavioral patterns in adulthood (eating too much and badly, leading a too sedentary life, abusing smoking or alcohol) . A condition that associated with other factors ( environmental, genetic ) can unfortunately increase the incidence of risk factors.

For this reason, there can be no more important advice than to regulate your diet and adopt an active, non-sedentary lifestyle, in order to boost your health and protect yourself from diseases more dangerous for you and those around you.