Obesity and Chronic Diseases

Obesity and cancer

The American Cancer Society estimates that up to 20% of all cancer deaths are caused by excess body weight. It makes sense that controlling one's weight and maintaining a healthy lifestyle are promising strategies to lower the country's cancer rate and save lives, given that obesity is significantly more preventable than many types of cancer. the dangers of various cancer forms. These include multiple myeloma and Hodgkin's lymphoma in addition to malignancies of the colon, kidney, endometrium, oesophagus, pancreas, gall bladder, thyroid, ovary, cervix, and prostate. In post-menopausal women, being overweight or obese also increases the risk of developing breast cancer.

Obesity and diabetes

Children who are more likely to be obese as adults have a higher chance of having type 2 diabetes. Pre-diabetes, a disease where blood glucose levels put the person at high risk for developing diabetes, is more prevalent among obese children and adolescents.

A balanced diet and regular exercise are still essential for controlling and preventing both type 2 diabetes and obesity. But it's obvious that we need more options given the escalating rates of each.

Obesity and heart disease

Even if a person does not have other heart disease risk factors, being obese dramatically increases their risk of developing heart disease.

Maintaining a healthy weight, as indicated by a body mass index (BMI) of less than 25, enables a person to circulate blood and control fluid levels more effectively. The heart, circulatory system, and kidneys will experience less strain as a result of this easier job. system and makes it work harder. One of the main causes of elevated blood cholesterol levels is obesity. High cholesterol is a crucial factor in the development of arterial plaque, which is a leading cause of heart attacks.Obesity and neurological degeneration:

Over the past 20 years, a growing body of research has revealed connections between obesity and neurodegenerative disorders, particularly Alzheimer's. For the brain to function properly, it needs access to oxygen and nourishment. A network of blood arteries that gets ever more refined provides that supply.

Atherosclerosis, or the deteriorating flexibility of blood vessels, is also largely attributed to long-term high blood pressure, which strains the walls of our blood vessels, and high cholesterol, which adds to the accumulation of plaque in the arteries.

Obesity and stroke

Though stroke occurs almost exclusively in adults, the epidemic of obesity in children is decreasing the average age of victims and putting our next generation more at risk for this debilitating, often deadly event. 

High blood pressure is the leading cause of stroke and death rates due to stroke are nearly 45 percent, according to the American Heart Association. Excess weight and physical inactivity can both lead to high blood pressure.

 Since obese children are more likely to become obese as adults, they are also at greater risk for health problems as adults, including high blood pressure and stroke.