
Health Risks of Morbid Obesity
The truth about Morbid Obesity
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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