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Health Risks of Morbid Obesity

The truth about Morbid Obesity

If you are a qualified bariatric surgeon or facility and would like to be featured in our web site, we would like to hear from you. For the last seven years, thousands of patients have come to our site each day for assistance in finding the right bariatric program. We are proud to note that the patients who have had bariatric surgery with members of our team have had superior outcomes compared to the national average.

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
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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.

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