HEALTH RISKS OF BEING OVERWEIGHT

15/05/2020

Overweight is not a disease. However, being overweight for a long time or sudden weight gain may be the cause of some dangerous diseases.

The excessive weight gain not only affects your appearance, but it also increases your risk of getting diseases, especially chronic non-communicable ones.

Osteoarthritis: Extra weight increases the pressure on joints. The more weight you gain, the more stressed and damaged your joints can become, which leads to inflammation and musculoskeletal disorders.
Gout: People who have the high visceral fat accumulation (even though their weights are in normal range) will get higher risk of gout.
Cardiovascular diseases: People who are overweight have higher risk of dyslipidemia, also known as high triglyceride or cholesterol in your blood. This narrows and blocks the blood vessels, leading to hypertension, coronary disease, arteriosclerosis, stroke and heart attack. Currently, the mortality rate because of being cardiovascular diseases is the leading cause and many cases are linked to overweight or obesity.
Diabetes: Overweight/obesity makes cells become resistant to the insulin hormone (insulin carries sugar from blood to the cells) and is one of the causes of type 2 diabetes.
Digestive diseases: Overweight or obesity, especially for people with high visceral fat , increases the risk of digestive diseases such as nonalcoholic fatty liver, gallstones, gastroesophageal reflux,...
Obesity Hypoventilation syndrome: More fat stored around your neck or chest or abdomen makes you feel hard to breathe and may release hormones which affect your respiratory system. Your brain may also have difficulty controlling your breath. Most people with the syndrome suffer sleep apnea.
The risk of cancer: Some studies show the link between excess weight and some cancers such as esophagus, colorectal, breast, uterus, ovary, liver, gallbladder, pancreatic cancer.
Psychological impact: lack of confidence in communication, fear of being in public, stress, less flexibility in daily activities, decrease in working productivity.

Avoiding excess weight gain is necessary for a better life. Everyone has different eating habits and preferences, so the diets and physical activities should be personalized. There is no diet that applies to all. Specially, using weight loss drugs without prescription is not recommended as they can affect the function of other organs.

At American International Hospital (AIH), the body composition is measured by using DXA method (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) which generates the most reliable results. Our nutritionist will analyze the patient’s diet and physical activity level and tailor a specific nutrition plan for each case.

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