Obesity and Its Serious Health Consequences

What Is Obesity?

The clinical definition of obesity is based on a consideration of the Body Mass Index or BMI and this is calculated from the following equation:

(Weight in lbs. x 705) divided by (height in inches x height in inches).

So, for someone who weighs 102 lbs. and is 5 feet tall, the calculation is:
(102 x 705) divided by (60 x 60) = Approx. 20

BMI and Weight Ratings

Below 18.5 = Underweight
18.5 – 24.9 = Normal Weight Range
25.0 – 29.9 = Overweight
30.0 – 39.9 = Obese
40.0 – 49.9 = Morbidly Obese

How Common Is Obesity In The USA?

Between 1980 and 2004, obesity rates doubled for adults in the USA and nearly tripled for children. The latest National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), conducted in 2007-2008, found that the frequency of obesity was 16.9% among children and adolescents, 32.2% among adult men and 35.5% among adult women. The overall age-adjusted prevalence of morbid obesity was 5.7% among the adult population ( 4.2% for men and 7.2% for women ) and the figure for non-Hispanic black women was 14.2%. These figures represent a national tragedy.

What are the Health Consequences of Obesity?

There are some physicians who consider obesity to be a disease in itself. It certainly has some very serious consequences for our health and wellbeing as outlined below.

1) Type 2 Diabetes. In this condition, insulin is still produced and released by the pancreas but the tissues do not respond to it and so they are unable to absorb glucose from the blood. Obesity is a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes and if the condition is not well managed it can lead to coronary heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney failure, slow healing of wounds, peripheral blood vessel and nerve damage, and an increased risk of lower limb loss. Type 2 diabetes used to be called Adult-Onset Diabetes because it was diagnosed only in adults, but now because obesity is increasingly observed in children, type 2 diabetes is occurring there also, further underscoring the seriousness of the obesity epidemic.

2) High Blood Pressure. People are overweight and obese because they possess additional adipose tissue which stores body fat. In order to keep this tissue alive, the body makes additional blood vessels and the task of supplying blood through all this extra mileage puts a further load on the heart. To overcome the increased resistance to blood flow, blood pressure increases. Blood pressure also rises because blood vessels lose their elasticity as people are repeatedly exposed to an unhealthy diet, high in saturated fat. Being obese more than doubles the risk of developing high blood pressure and this in turn is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease and stroke.

3) Cancer. There is an association between obesity and an increased risk of cancers of the breast (post-menopausal), colon, endometrium (uterine lining), esophagus, and kidney. There is also evidence to suggest an elevated risk of gall bladder and stomach cancer, and increased prostate cancer mortality. Fat tissue is a major site of estrogen synthesis in women and if there is more fat tissue, more estrogen will be produced and this can increase the likelihood of estrogen-sensitive cancers including breast cancer in post- menopausal women. Fat tissue also produces inflammatory agents and these can also adversely affect health.

4) Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease. Several studies have now suggested a link between obesity in middle age and an increased risk of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s disease later. Moreover, an association has been demonstrated between being overweight or obese and brain shrinkage. Obese people were found to have 8% less brain tissue than their normal weight counterparts and their brains looked 16 years older. People who were overweight but not yet clinically obese had 4% less brain tissue and their brains looked 8 years older.

5) Osteoarthritis. The symptoms of osteoarthritis are worse in people who are overweight or obese. The excess body weight places additional stress upon the joints. For example, in the case of obese women, there is a 9 times increased risk of developing osteoarthritis at the knee joint.

6) Other Medical Conditions. Obesity is associated with an increased risk of abdominal hernias, gall bladder disease, gout, liver malfunction, respiratory problems, sleep apnea and varicose veins.

So put simply, obesity left unchecked leads to a reduced quality of life and serious health problems, the consequences of which keep doctors and hospitals very busy. In addition to the pain and suffering involved, there are significant emotional and financial costs.

© Christopher J. Jones, M.Sc., Ph.D.
Adventist Health Ministry,
Laguna Niguel, California 92677, USA.