Obesity

 

Obesity is a complex disorder involving an excessive amount of body fat. Obesity isn't just a cosmetic concern. It increases your risk of diseases and health problems, such as heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure.

Being extremely obese means you are especially likely to have health problems related to your weight.

 

CAUSES

Although there are genetic, behavioral and hormonal influences on body weight, obesity occurs when you take in more calories than you burn through exercise and normal daily activities. Your body stores these excess calories as fat.

Obesity can sometimes be traced to a medical cause, such as Cushing's syndrome, and other diseases and conditions. However, these disorders are rare and, in general, the principal causes of obesity are:

• Inactivity. If you're not very active, you don't burn as many calories. With a sedentary lifestyle, you can easily take in more calories every day than you use through exercise and normal daily activities.
• Unhealthy diet and eating habits. Weight gain is inevitable if you regularly eat more calories than you burn. And most Americans' diets are too high in calories and are full of fast food and high-calorie beverages.

 

COMPLICATIONS

If you're obese, you're more likely to develop a number of potentially serious health problems, including:

• High triglycerides and low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol
• Type 2 diabetes
• High blood pressure
• Metabolic syndrome — a combination of high blood sugar, high blood pressure, high triglycerides and low HDL cholesterol
• Heart disease
• Stroke
• Cancer, including cancer of the uterus, cervix, endometrium, ovaries, breast, colon, rectum, esophagus, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, kidney and prostate
• Breathing disorders, including sleep apnea, a potentially serious sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts
• Gallbladder disease
• Gynecological problems, such as infertility and irregular periods
• Erectile dysfunction and sexual health issues
• Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, a condition in which fat builds up in the liver and can cause inflammation or scarring
• Osteoarthritis