World Obesity Day 2022: The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 2.8 million people die each year as a result of excessive body weight and obesity. Obesity is on the rise due to a sedentary lifestyle, poor dietary choices, economic, environmental, and cultural causes, as well as hereditary and psychological concerns. Obesity contributes to a lot of cardiac diseases. Obesity has become a global pandemic that affects billions of people, and World Obesity Day is marked annually on March 4 to raise awareness about the problem.
The five health hazards connected with obesity are discussed in this article.
Cardiovascular problems: Obesity is one of the primary causes of cardiovascular disease, which affects the heart and blood vessels. Obesity is connected to an increase in bad cholesterol, triglycerides, and a decrease in good cholesterol, as well as diabetes. Heart difficulties and stroke are also more likely as a result of such issues.
Hypertension: While hypertension may develop in persons who are not fat, obesity can raise the risk of hypertension. Excess fat in the blood vessels causes blood pressure to rise, which can harm your eyes, kidneys, and cause dementia, as well as heart failure.
Osteoarthritis: Being overweight puts a burden on the soft tissues as well as weight-bearing joints such as the knee, hip, and ankle. Ligaments and tendons weaken as a result of osteoarthritis. The cartilage that cushions the joints is also prone to deterioration. Obesity can alter the curvature of the spine due to excess weight.
Obstructive sleep apnea: Obese and overweight people are more likely to acquire this condition. During sleep, the soft tissues of the throat and mouth relax, and breathing is briefly interrupted. Obese people’s upper respiratory tract airways constrict as a result of their extra fat.
Diabetes: Insulin resistance puts overweight people at risk of developing type II diabetes. Inflammation and an increase in fatty acids cause this. Diabetes can harm your eyes, kidneys, hearing, feet, and heart, to name a few organs.