A Guide to Obesity Health Risks

Almost 40 percent of U.S. adults and 18.5 percent of youth are obese according to the 2015-2016 findings by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
The findings are important because obesity health risks create a number of medical issues such as high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease. Obesity hampers mobility and may have a negative effect on self-esteem.
Definition of Obesity in adults is having a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or more, and extreme obesity is 40-plus BMI. In youth (up to age 19), obesity is being at or above the 95th percentile on the CDC growth charts with extreme obesity at or above the 120 percent mark.
Many factors influence weight including family history, eating habits, hormones, lifestyle choices and psychological factors.
Obesity isn’t just a cosmetic issue defined by eating too much and lack of self-control. Obesity is a progressive disease that may increase due to chronic sleep loss, stress, some medications, pollutants and eating types of food such as those high in corn syrup, sugar, fat or processed meats.
Types of Obesity Health Risks
People who are morbidly obese have the greatest risk for developing serious obesity-related medical conditions with such common conditions as:
• Type 2 diabetes.
• Heart disease-related issues such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, angina, congestive heart failure.
• Stroke.
• Bone and joint problems including arthritis, back and joint pain, knee pain.
• Breathing issues like asthma or sleep apnea.
• Infertility or pregnancy complications including gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, pre-eclampsia and C-section delivery.
• Gallbladder disease.
• Gastrointestinal issues.
• Liver disease.
• Kidney disease.
• Stress urinary incontinence.
• Depression and eating disorders
• Certain types of cancers.
• Skin fold rashes
• Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Morbid obesity increases the risk of dying at a young age due to the many health issues contributed to obesity.
What to Do About Obesity Health Risks
Many programs are available to help with weight loss. For people who have tried numerous diets and have not been successful in keeping off weight, bariatric surgery may be a solution for weight loss. Many of the benefits of bariatric surgery are related to improvement in other medical conditions as a result of the weight loss.
Significant health benefits from surgical weight loss may allow the patient to feel better; have more energy; reduce cholesterol levels; improve or resolve Type 2 diabetes; decrease the risk of heart disease, stroke, fatty liver disease, osteoarthritis and gastroesphageal reflex; improve breathing and mobility and address sleep apnea.
To find out if you are a candidate for weight loss surgery, talk to your doctor. There are steps you need to take before you have surgery and a conversation with your doctor can provide options for getting to a healthy weight and reducing obesity health risks.
“We offer a free information seminar monthly so that folks can learn about weight loss surgery to decide if it is a tool they can use in the struggle against obesity,” said Dr. Sosa, Medical Director of the Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence at Palmetto General Hospital.