Health Risks of
Morbid Obesity
The truth about Morbid Obesity
Obesity has a direct relationship to the
development of heart disease in both men and
women. This is due to the increased distribution
of body fat. You are 3 times as likely to suffer
from hypertension if you are obese compared to
those whose weight falls within the normal
range. The simple fact is that when your weight
increases, so does your blood pressure.
Weight loss decreases risk
factors
If you are more than 20% overweight then most
likely your health would benefit greatly from
losing weight. Experts in the area of morbid
obesity believe that those who are less than 20%
above a healthy weight range should still try to
lose weight if they have any of the following
risk factors:
-
Family history of certain chronic diseases.
People with close relatives who have had
heart disease or diabetes are more likely
to develop these problems if they are
obese.
-
Pre-existing medical conditions. High blood
pressure, high cholesterol levels, or high blood
sugar levels are all warning signs of some
obesity-associated diseases.
-
"Apple" shape. People whose weight is concentrated
around their stomachs may be at greater risk of
developing heart disease, diabetes, or cancer than
people of the same weight who are "pear-shaped" (they
carry their weight in their hips and buttocks).
Obesity shortens your life span
Morbid obesity is not just an issue of physical appearance;
being significantly overweight is a serious hazard to your
health. If you are 40% or more overweight, you are twice as
likely to die prematurely as someone who is within a healthy
weight range. This is because obesity has been linked to
several serious medical conditions, including:
-
Cardiovascular Disease (CVD)
-
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS)
-
Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI)
-
Daytime Sleepiness
-
Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)
-
Diabetes (Type 2)
-
End
Stage Renal Disease (ESRD)
-
Gallbladder
Disease
-
Gout
-
Heat Disorders
-
Hypertension
-
Impaired Immune
Response
-
Impaired
Respiratory Function
-
Infections
Following Wounds
-
Infertility
-
Liver Disease
-
Low Back Pain
-
Obstetric and
Gynecologic Complications
-
Pain from Morbid Obesity
-
Pancreatitis from Morbid Obesity
-
Sleep Apnea from Morbid Obesity
-
Stroke from Morbid Obesity
-
Urinary Stress Incontinence from Morbid Obesity
Winning the fight against obesity
There are
no magic pills, no miracles in a bottle. The only way you have
fighting chance of beating obesity is to change your lifestyle.
No crash diet or miracle drug is going to cure what has now
become an epidemic in the United States. The two best things you
can do for yourself are 1) exercise on a regular basis and 2)
control your caloric intake. Keep in mind that these factors are
important for everyone, overweight or not, and regardless of
whether or not you decide to have gastric bypass surgery.
If you are interested in the gastric bypass procedure, please
contact us to see if we can help.
