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20 Diseases and Conditions Directly Attributable to Being Overweight

obese, obesity, overweightObesity is a growing concern in the United States; overweight rates have doubled among children and tripled among adolescents. This increases the number of years that they are exposing themselves to dangerous health risks associated with obesity.

Here are 20 diseases or conditions that can be attributed to obesity:

1. Diabetes, a disorder where the pancreas is not producing enough or sometimes not any insulin. Diabetes can lead to a whole host of other medical issues and obesity is one of the main causes.

2. Cancer has many different forms and types; many of them could be prevented with more attention to eating healthily and avoiding obesity.

3. Congestive heart failure is a condition in which your heart can’t pump enough blood to your body’s other organs.

4. Enlarged heart is another heart condition where the muscle of your heart becomes larger due to being overworked, which naturally happens if you are overweight.

5. Pulmonary embolism is a sometimes fatal blockage of an artery. Being overweight causes most people to reduce activity, and after time lack of activity can result in an embolism.

6. Polycystic ovarian syndrome is a condition in which cysts develop in your ovaries. These can burst, causing even further problems.

7. Gastro-esophageal reflux disease happens when stomach acid and juices flow from your stomach back up into your esophagus. It is common in overweight people.

8. Fatty liver disease is a reversible condition in which large pockets of fat accumulate in liver cells.

9. A hernia is caused when the hole in the diaphragm weakens and enlarges.

10. Erectile dysfunction is the inability to develop or maintain an erection, which can be caused by a medical problem due to obesity.

11. Urinary incontinence is the inability to control urination. It is frequently associated with obesity, weak bladder and pelvic floor muscles

12. Chronic renal failure, meaning your kidneys fail to work, is a much greater risk to those who are overweight or obese.

13. Lymph edema is a condition that occurs from a damaged or dysfunctional lymphatic system, sometimes caused by people suffering from obesity actually crushing their own lymphatics.

14. Cellulitis is a spreading infection, involving both the dermis and subcutaneous skin tissues, resulting from poor lymph flow caused by obesity.

15. Stroke is caused by a lack of blood supply to your brain.

16. Pickwickian syndrome is characterized by sleep apnea resulting from obesity placing an excessive load on your pulmonary system.

17. Depression is a condition where a person feels miserable constantly, even to the point of being suicidal. It can be worse for someone who also has a weight problem.

18. Osteoarthritis is a clinical syndrome in which low-grade inflammation results in pain in your joints. It is caused by abnormal wearing of the cartilage, oftentimes due to obesity.

19. Gout occurs when uric acid accumulates in your blood. Nerve endings then become irritated, causing extreme pain, which is made worse by carrying extra weight.

20. Gallbladder disease commonly affects overweight people as a result of high blood cholesterol levels, which cause gall stones.

According to a Surgeon General report, obesity is responsible for 300,000 deaths every year in the United States.

Sources:

Dr. Mercola''s Comments Dr. Mercola's Comments:

Your body is designed to operate best when it’s at an ideal weight. Carrying around extra pounds will inevitably increase your risk of developing just about every chronic degenerative disease known to man, and seeing some of them listed above gives you an idea of just how many -- and how far-reaching the problems can be.

That said, obesity itself is not the underlying cause of any health problem. The underlying cause is usually an unhealthy diet, lack of exercise leading to increased insulin and leptin levels, and an overload of emotional stress that has not been addressed. These are the things that cause our bodies to become overweight or obese … and the cycle continues from there.

This is an urgent problem given that two-thirds of the U.S. population is already overweight, and a recent study found it’s possible that every American adult could be overweight by 2048.

Even though obesity has been named the fastest-growing health threat in the United States, most people don’t want to lose weight to get healthy.

They want to lose weight for aesthetic purposes, or to look better, and this is fine if it gets you to the ultimate goal. Maintaining a healthy body weight is about so much more than looking good in a bikini -- it’s about having more energy, fighting disease, protecting your heart and, above all else, choosing a lifestyle that will support your entire body and your health.

Losing Weight Takes a Three-Pronged Approach

I’ve said this before, but it’s important so I’ll say it again: There is no “magic pill” that will make you lose weight (although researchers did recently come out with an exercise pill, if you can believe that!).

Weight gain is obviously influenced by many factors, but the two that everyone keeps coming back to -- diet and exercise -- are still the major players in my mind. Combine a healthy diet with exercise -- and be sure you are addressing the emotional component of food, eating and weight gain -- and most people WILL lose weight.

Making up your mind to do it is half the battle (in fact, it’s probably 99 percent of the battle for many), and this is why tools like the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) are your friend and ally when it comes to losing weight. They help you to nip emotional eating in the bud by dealing with your feelings at the energetic level and creating a new relationship with food.

That is one step in the weight-loss equation. From there, it’s just a matter of changing your lifestyle in the following ways:

1. Tailor your diet to your nutritional type. These are the foods that are right for your biochemistry, and these are the foods that will push your body toward its ideal weight. (By the way, these foods may be high in fat, high in carbs, heavy on protein or heavy on veggies, it all depends on YOU).

Eating right for your nutritional type is not a “diet.” In fact, if you still feel hungry after eating you are definitely not eating according to your nutritional type. There is no food deprivation, no counting calories and definitely no starving yourself -- just eating plenty of healthy foods that are right for you.

2. View exercise as a drug. When you’re trying to lose weight, a casual walk here and there is not going to cut it. Many studies find that exercising for one hour, five days a week is actually needed, and I tend to agree with that. Sometimes you may need even up to 90 minutes of aerobic activity every day.

There is also strong compelling evidence that strength training and high-intensity anaerobic interval training may be especially effective for weight loss.

So there you have it: eat right, exercise, and release your stress -- and that is typically all it takes. I am not suggesting that weight loss is easy, only that it is something you can accomplish if you put your mind to it, and this may mean getting some outside support.

If you live in the Chicago area and would like some extra support and guidance in weight loss, you can visit my Natural Health Center. Those of you in other areas who need weight loss support can look for a holistic health care practitioner who specializes in weight loss in your area, and join the Vital Votes section of my Health Blog where you can share your weight loss challenges and successes with like-minded people.


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Comment on This Article Community Comments (32)
 
 
Posted On Aug 19, 2008
Here's one more article that talks about associations or links as though they are the causes of those 20 conditions. It happens all the time when discussing obesity, as though obesity is the problem.

In the world I understand, obesity is a symptom of poor health and poor habits. This means we must get ourselves healthy before attacking the symptom. With the return of health through good diet for body type, exercise programs appropriate for body type, and monitoring (and correcting when necessary) hormone imbalances, the symptom of fat deposits begins to disappear, along with all those nasty, associated conditions.

On the surface the distinction between getting healthy vs. losing weight to get healthy might seem like splitting hairs, but the reality is that people are encouraged to attack obesity from a weight-loss perspective such a bariatric surgery, while the same issues that led to poor health in the first place remain present and will invariably find other sneaky ways to destroy our wellness.

Yes, once present, it's possible for excess fat to directly create health issues such as sleep apnea, but the approach of losing weight as job number 1 instead of making the changes needed to get healthy again has diverted the national attention to drugs, surgery, and quick-fix programs that can't work for long because they don't remove the causes of hunger.

In my view, losing weight as a strategy does not cause good health. It just changes the way poor health will destroy us.

 
Pragmatico
Apprentice User Apprentice User, Joined On 6/2006
Pragmatico  
Replied

qualitygeek
Savvy User Savvy User Joined On 10/2007
qualitygeek  
 
Posted On Aug 19, 2008
Prag, did you read the linked article? I saw absolutely NO mention of bariatric surgery. Nor does it really concentrate on losing weight.

"According to the U.S. Surgeon General report, obesity is responsible for 300,000 deaths every year in the U.S. The National Center for Health statistics estimates that sixty three percent of Americans are overweight with a Body Mass Index (BMI) in excess of 25.0. What people don’t know is that many cases of obesity are related to some kind of food intolerance. Eighty to ninety percent of north americans have some sort of food allergy or intolerance. Eating these foods can result in many symptoms, one of which being weight gain. Many of the foods that people react to are not the junk food you might be thinking of but actually healthy foods that we may be eating because we are on a diet !"

The article focuses on eating foods that do not cause adverse reactions. Reminds me of the work of ElsonHaas,MD.

Dr Haas says the seven most common food sensitivities that cause "false fat" are:

Wheat, Sugar, Cow's Milk, Eggs, Corn, Soy, Peanuts



KelleyEidem
Apprentice User Apprentice User Joined On 11/2007
KelleyEidem  
 
Posted On Sep 02, 2008

Here's why EXCESS fat in itself is harmful: Fat cells release inflammatory compounds. So while too much fat is a symptom, it is also a cause. ;-)

To my way of thinking, there appears to be two major culprits to weight gain. The first is the widespread problem of yeast overgrowth in women AND men.

Here's one free solution for it...

hubpages.com/.../How-to-Flatten-Your-Tummy-and-End-Food-Cravings-EFFORTLESSLY

The other big problem is high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). HFCS increases a chemical that INCREASES your appetite! It's called grhelin. While a little ghrelin is probably a good thing, a 20 ounce soft drink of HFCS is NOT helpful!

The good news is that for most of us, taking care of the yeast overgrowth will make it much easier to avoid the HFCS.

The best to you.

Kelley Eidem

Together we can cure cancer - one person at a time!



ryree
Apprentice User Apprentice User Joined On 6/2006
ryree  
 
Posted On Sep 03, 2008

I saw a commercial last night for high fructose corn syrup. A woman comments to another woman that the drink she is serving contains HFCS. The commerical then tries to make her look stupid for saying anything in the first place.They have a website now also. www.sweetsurprise.com. Amazing. Some of their "facts":

High fructose corn syrup has the same number of calories as table sugar and is equal in sweetness. It contains no artificial or synthetic ingredients.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted high fructose corn syrup "Generally Recognized as Safe" status for use in food, and reaffirmed that ruling in 1996 after thorough review.

High fructose corn syrup offers numerous benefits. It keeps food fresh, enhances fruit and spice flavors, retains moisture in bran cereals, helps keep breakfast and energy bars moist, maintains consistent flavors in beverages and keeps ingredients evenly dispersed in condiments.

Funny how much research they did leave out.

I wonder how many of these diseases we would cut down without HFCS.

I'm sure this commercial is all a lot of people need to consume even more of it.



HeatherM
Novice User Novice User Joined On 6/2006
HeatherM  
 
Posted On Sep 03, 2008

In Australia processed foods rarely contain the sweetener HFCS, just sugar or glucose.  We also have fat & obese people everywhere. So too much sugar (not necessarily HFCS) & white carbs are probably the main things causing insulin imbalances, plus a lack of protein, healthy fats & exercise.


 
 
 
Posted On Sep 02, 2008

This is another one of those ridiculous articles that have no factual basis and is meant to scare people.

1)Diabetes is caused by too many refned carbs and a lack of Chromium and Vanadium. Type II Diabets is completely reversible with diet and the addition of the two minerals above.

2)Cancer is found in everyone from newborns to the elderly, the skinny to the obese. Cancer can be controlled by keeping the body alkaline, adding selenium to the diet, and avoiding triggers such assmoking and radiation exposure.

3)Congestive Heart Failure is most likely a lack of selenium, calcium, and magnesium.

4)Enlarged heart is often caused by overweight, but also genetics. Again~selenium for optimal heart health.

5)Pulmonary Embolism can be caused by many factors~not just obesity.

6)Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome is usually a hormonal problem caused by too much estrogen and not enough progesterone.

7)Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease: This is commonly due to transient or permanent changes in the barrier between the esophagus and the stomach. This can be due to incompetence of the cardia, transient cardia relaxation, impaired expulsion of gastric reflux from the esophagus, or a hiatus hernia.

If the reflux reaches the throat, it is called laryngopharyngeal reflux disease. (Wikipedia)

8) Fatty Liver is caused by many things and losing weight can helo, but not all patients are overweight!

9)Hernias happen to people of all ages and sizes, including newborns!

10)Erectile Dysfunction is most often caused by too low of testosterone levels or pharmaceutical meds.

11) Urinary Incontinence can be avoided with Pelvic Floor Exercises (Kegel), or tacking up a fallen bladder. Most women who get this have had multiple children.

12)Renal Failure: Most common causes are diabetes and high blood pressure. These causes can be avoided by adding vanadium and Chromium to the diet, eliminating simple carbs, and adding selenium, calcium, and magnesium to the diet, along with raw garlic.

contin:


 
LoriSmi
Apprentice User Apprentice User, Joined On 1/2008
LoriSmi  
 
 
 
Posted On Aug 19, 2008
Actually, qualitygeek, I did read the article -- and quite carefully. It's only the last half of the very last paragraph that addresses food reactions, as you mentioned. I have no issue with that, as I know it's true.

My focus, as I implied in my first paragraph, is the inherent assumption in the article that overweight causes the 20 problems cited. That causal assumption just keeps popping up all over the place and leads to weight-loss behavior rather than health-restoration behavior. I'm sorry if my approach to making my point doesn't meet your needs, but I'm confident about what I said about the article. Of course you're free to expound on your perspective. There's lots of room. This doesn't have to be a debate.

 
Pragmatico
Apprentice User Apprentice User, Joined On 6/2006
Pragmatico  
Replied

jaycei
Novice User Novice User Joined On 6/2006
jaycei  
 
Posted On Sep 02, 2008

Pragmatico,

I totally agree with your point of view on focusing in restoring health rather than losing weight.  Years of dieting actually increase your girth rather than reducing it because of metabolic resistance.  Our ancestors survived famine many times because of it, and thus we still have the genes to stave off starvation.  I know as I speak from experience, and come from a family that survived WWII eating only a potato a day.  Healthful eating and living should be the goal.  A slimmer body might be the result, but a better life is guaranteed.


 
 
 
Posted On Sep 02, 2008

My family members have all suffered with these problems mentioned and most have died from several combinations of them. Only one was obese. The rest were "normal" weight.

 I am talking about 34 people from my family, not just one or two. How can these"facts" be correct in the article?


 
webwitch6
Apprentice User Apprentice User, Joined On 9/2007
webwitch6  
 
 
 
Posted On Sep 02, 2008

Dr. Marcola,

Let us get real here, I'm a heavy woman or you may call it fat. I'm retired have been heavy most of my life, I was on the swim team when I was in high school looking very good in my swim suit at 150 LBS. I rode and showed horses and look good in my cloths at 195, and now I'm over 200 at 63, no high blood pressure, no diabetes, nothing, just nerve damage in my back from a bad horse accident years ago. I'm so tired of the news and health articles on fat people, I can tell you a lot of people that are thin that has just as many problem as heavy people and it is not alway the way the eat. I eat heathy and I will always be heavy, I have starved my self so may times because people like you say I should be thin and my body alway goes back to 200 unless I eat 500 to 800 calories, I have tried every potion on the market and all they did was empty my bank account. I do have thyroid problems and Fibro Myalgia from the time I was 30 but other than that I have been healthy. I think the reason you and other people try and scare all the fat people is to sell products that you say will help them be skinny, when I see all the people going to the doctors that are skinny, bent over walking with a cane, taking tons of pills as I walk by them to get my yearly thyroid test I wonder why you pick on heavy people. My husband loves me, I have beautiful cloths, I raise and show my dogs and I don't think all heavy people run around depressed. I hope to see someday they stop picking on heavy people, the media is full of it and that is depressing. Start picking on bold people or thin people or people that use canes so they will not fall, or people that like sports and how they are all going to get sick from eating those hot dogs and beer but stop with the fat thing, it only makes it worse, people are spending there entire saving on pills, books, powers and I have plenty to sell back to you that does not work.

Heavy Person


 
Heavy Person
Novice User Novice User, Joined On 9/2008
Heavy Person  
Replied

HeatherM
Novice User Novice User Joined On 6/2006
HeatherM  
 
Posted On Sep 03, 2008

You may "think" you eat healthily, but you're probably not on the diet for your metabolic type.



success4hannah
Savvy User Savvy User Joined On 5/2007
success4hannah  
 
Posted On Sep 16, 2008

I am also obese and I am sick of people assuming you eat too much. Like "Heavy Person" I have Hashimoto's Disease (which I had since I had meningitis at 10) which the doctors didn't bother to diagnose until I was 42! I also have Fibromyalgia, and not a SINGLE diet works. I am now on a protein diet, and anything that is high in carbs I just can't eat. That includes bananas, carrots, onions, peas, corn, potatoes, rice, most fruit and a host of others. All I can eat is protein, and the so-called "free" vegetables like lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, tomato, mushrooms, cucumber, cabbage and coconut. This diet completely reverses diabetes. On this diet, I lose .07 grams a week. If I don't do anything wrong. (Try sticking to this diet for a month and see how you do) I am sick of people who give one look at you and judge you. And I am especially sick of doctors who tell you: "All you have to do is lose weight and all your health problems will disappear!" Yeah Right! They just don't know what else to say.


 
 
 
 
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