More Than Just A Size Thing
A lot of people don't connect weight with health issues. However, obesity plays a bigger role in long-term health. It affects people differently, but still in harmful ways. If you're wondering what problems can come with it, read on. We've outlined 20 of the most common ones.
1. Type 2 Diabetes
Too much body fat can block your cells from using insulin properly. This makes sugar build up in your blood. People over 45 are more at risk, but it's showing up in teens, too. Catch it early, and you can avoid long-term damage like vision loss.
2. Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)
Your liver can fill with fat if you're overweight, even if you don't drink. That's NAFLD. It can eventually bring about serious liver problems. The tricky part is that most people don't feel anything is wrong until the damage is done.
https://www.myupchar.com/en on Wikimedia
3. Stroke
A stroke is like a power cut to part of your brain. Obesity thickens your blood and damages your arteries, making clots more likely. Add high blood pressure or diabetes, and the risk jumps. Big waist sizes are one of the strongest warning signs.
4. Sleep Apnea
If you snore heavily or wake up feeling tired, your weight could be blocking your airways at night. Sleep apnea means your breathing stops often while you sleep. A little weight loss may be enough to cause big changes in your breathing and energy levels.
5. Heart Disease
Carrying extra weight makes your heart work overtime. It raises your blood pressure and messes with your cholesterol. Men over 40 get it first, but women catch up after menopause. If you get winded walking a short distance, your heart may be asking for help.
6. Osteoarthritis
Your knees and hips take a beating when you're obese. This pressure wears out the soft cushioning between your bones. It's not just from getting older—obesity makes it worse and faster. Even losing 10 pounds can take a lot of stress off your joints.
7. Certain Cancers (Colon, Endometrial)
Body fat also affects your hormones. That's why obesity is linked to cancers in the colon and uterus. After menopause, the risk gets even higher. The more weight you carry, the more inflammation builds up, and that can help cancer grow.
8. Gallbladder Disease
Your gallbladder helps break down fat, but too much body fat can make it act up. It may create stones that block the flow of bile, causing sharp belly pain, especially after greasy meals. Women and people who lose weight quickly are most at risk.
9. Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)
Extra weight pushes your heart to pump harder. That pressure builds up in your blood vessels, like water surging through a narrow hose. Over time, it wears them down. Left untreated, high blood pressure becomes a silent setup for heart failure or sudden death.
10. High Cholesterol And Triglycerides
Obesity throws your blood fats out of balance. It reduces good cholesterol and increases bad cholesterol and triglycerides, which can clog your arteries like sludge in a pipe. Surprisingly, just 5–10% weight loss can flip those numbers in your favor without needing medication.
11. Chronic Kidney Disease
Your kidneys clean your blood, but too much fat puts them under pressure. Obesity often leads to diabetes or high blood pressure, two big causes of kidney damage. You won't feel kidney trouble at first, but when you do, it may already be irreversible.
12. Physical Disability And Immobility
Too much weight can make everyday movement feel super hard. It strains your joints and muscles. You may avoid walks, then stairs, then even chairs without arms. Eventually, you're stuck—not by choice, but by slow, silent physical decline.
13. Infertility
When trying to get pregnant but struggling, obesity may be part of the reason. When it throws off hormone levels, it becomes harder to release eggs or produce healthy sperm. Doctors often recommend adjusting diet and losing a few pounds before starting treatment.
14. Depression
Carrying extra weight can feel heavy in more ways than one. Obesity increases the risk of depression, partly from body image stress and partly from changes in brain chemistry. It's a cycle—depression reduces activity, which adds pounds, which feeds depression again.
15. Anxiety Disorders
When your body's under physical stress from extra weight, your mind can feel it too. Obesity is linked to anxiety, which may show up as restlessness or irritability. Interestingly, gut health also plays a role—your brain and belly are more related than you think.
16. GERD (Acid Reflux)
Obesity can push stomach acid up into your throat—that’s called GERD. Belly fat pressurizes your stomach, and this can worsen reflux. If you often sleep with extra pillows just to breathe, your body’s asking for a change.
17. Gout
Gout feels like stepping barefoot onto hot, broken glass. It's a type of arthritis where uric acid crystals attack your joints, usually the big toe. Obesity raises uric acid levels, making attacks more likely. Red meat and sugary drinks can also trigger gout flares.
18. Venous Thromboembolism (VTE)
During long flights or long TV binges, if you’re overweight, your blood flow slows even faster. That's where clots form. VTE includes deep vein clots and lung blockages. Think of it as a traffic jam in your bloodstream that can end in total gridlock.
19. Urinary Incontinence
Obesity adds pressure to your bladder, like squeezing a full water balloon. It weakens the muscles that keep leaks under control. New mothers feel it most. Laughing, sneezing, or jumping might trigger an "oops" moment. Even a workout trampoline counts as risky.
Photo By: Kaboompics.com on Pexels
20. Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD)
When your legs don't get enough blood, even a walk to the mailbox can burn. PAD is linked to clogged leg arteries, and obesity helps them clog faster. If your calves cramp while walking but feel better when resting, your arteries may be waving a red flag.
KEEP ON READING
