In the following article, let''s learn about the most prominent examples of health conditions and diseases caused by being overweight.
Obesity has become a threat to the lives of many, as it is the main cause behind the emergence and development of many serious diseases that have negative effects on human health. In this article, we will discuss the 6 most important diseases caused by overweight:
There are many examples of diseases caused by being overweight. Here are the most important diseases caused by being overweight:
1. Arthritis
It is an inflammation of the joint membrane that causes varying degrees of pain and restricts the patient’s movement. The inflammation can be bacterial or result from another reason such as obesity. It may affect one or more joints. Excess weight causes additional pressure on these joints, which leads to damage to the cartilage that protects them. .
Losing weight can relieve stress on the knees, hips, and lower back. Thus, this disease is one of the most prominent examples of diseases caused by being overweight.
2. gout
Gout is an increased deposition of uric acid crystals in the joints, which in turn causes bouts of acute pain and redness in the affected area. Any joint in the body may be affected by this disease, but the most vulnerable is the big toe.
It has been found that gout is more common among obese people, so the more you weigh, the more likely you are to develop gout.
3. Obesity and childbearing
Obesity reduces blood flow to the genitals in men and increases the temperature around them, which limits the man''s ability to produce strong sperm that can reach the egg in order to fertilize it at the required speed.
As for women, the accumulation of fat in the abdominal area leads to a decrease in fertility hormones, such as: estrogen, which affects the ovulation process and sometimes contributes to an increased risk of developing polycystic ovary syndrome.
4. Heart attacks
When fats and cholesterol accumulate in the body, this may cause them to be deposited in the arteries and blood vessels and prevent blood from reaching the heart, which will damage the heart muscle and lead to heart attacks.
5. Sleep apnea syndrome
Obesity causes sleep apnea syndrome, which is a disease characterized by complete or partial interruption of breathing for a short period during sleep that does not exceed ten seconds, and this leads to the body’s organs not getting enough oxygen needed to carry out vital functions, which causes severe health damage. .
Sleep apnea can cause a person to snore heavily and feel sleepy during the day and make heart disease and stroke more likely.
6. Depression
Excess weight and obesity may make a person feel embarrassed and ashamed to appear in front of others, and the sufferer may suffer from the inability to act or deal freely, and in turn this causes him to have a state of poor self-confidence and a feeling of helplessness as a result of his inability to control his weight, especially when he is exposed to health problems resulting from Obesity.
All these feelings result in a feeling of loneliness and isolation from the outside world, continuous frustration and psychological stress, which may eventually lead to depression, and this is one of the diseases caused by being overweight.
What is overweight and obesity?
The World Health Organization has defined overweight and obesity as an abnormal or excessive accumulation of fat that may harm health, and weight is assessed through the use of the body mass index, which examines the relationship between body height and weight.
Accordingly, a person is considered overweight if his body mass index (BMI) is greater than or equal to 25, and he is considered obese if his body mass index is greater than 30.
