|
|
|
Health
|
Most people's primary motivation for weight management
is to improve their appearance. Equally important, however,
are the many other benefits of proper nutrition and regular
exercise. Weight management through reduction
of excess body fat plays a vital role in maintaining good
health and fighting disease. In fact, medical evidence shows
that obesity poses a major threat to health and longevity.
|
|
(The most common definition of
obesity is more than 25 percent body fat for men and more than 32
percent for women.) An estimated one in three Americans has some
excess body fat; an estimated 20 percent are
obese.
Excess body fat is linked to major physical
threats like heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. (Three out of four
Americans die of either heart disease or cancer each year; according
to the National Health and Nutrition Examination survey,
approximately 80 percent of those deaths are associated with
life-style factors, including inactivity.)
For example, if
you're obese, it takes more energy for you to breathe because your
heart has to work harder to pump blood to the lungs and to the
excess fat throughout the body. This increased work load can cause
your heart to become enlarged and can result in high blood pressure
and life-threatening erratic heartbeats.
Obese people also
tend to have high cholesterol levels, making them more prone to
arteriosclerosis, a narrowing of the arteries by deposits of plaque.
This becomes life-threatening when blood vessels become so narrow or
blocked that vital organs like the brain, heart or kidneys are
deprived of blood. Additionally, the narrowing of the blood vessels
forces the heart to pump harder, and blood pressure rises. High
blood pressure itself poses several health risks, including heart
attack, kidney failure, and stroke. About 25 percent of all heart
and blood vessel problems are associated with obesity.
Clinical studies have found a relationship between excess
body fat and the incidence of cancer. By itself, body fat is thought
to be a storage place for carcinogens (cancer-causing chemicals) in
both men and women. In women, excess body fat has been linked to a
higher rate of breast and uterine cancer; in men, the threat comes
from colon and prostate cancer.
There is also a delicate balance between blood sugar, body fat, and
the hormone insulin. Excess blood sugar is stored in the liver and
other vital organs; when the organs are "full," the excess blood sugar
is converted to fat. As fat cells themselves become full, they tend
to take in less blood sugar. In some obese people, the pancreas produces
more and more insulin, which the body can't use, to regulate blood
sugar levels, and the whole system becomes overwhelmed. This poor
regulation of blood sugar and insulin results in diabetes, a disease
with long-term consequences, including heart disease, kidney failure,
blindness, amputation, and death. Excess body fat is also linked to
gall bladder disease, gastro-intestinal disease, sexual dysfunction,
osteoarthritiis, and stroke. |
|
Health Resource Library |
Just for Her |
Him and Her
