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Losing Weight Lowers Your Risk for These Eight Critical Health Issues

Being overweight or obese puts you at risk for serious health complications. The good news is that you don’t have to lose a massive amount to improve your health and lower your risk. You may be surprised to know that losing just 5-10% of your starting weight is enough to significantly reduce your risk for chronic diseases. For someone who is 200 pounds, that’s just 10-20 pounds.

With a concerted effort to slim down, you can help ensure that you live a longer, healthier life. Here we discuss the impact excess weight has on your health and how losing weight lowers your risk of ever developing these eight conditions.

Type 2 diabetes

Carrying extra weight is a major risk factor for developing blood sugar issues like insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Roughly 85% of people living with diabetes are overweight or obese, yet just a 5-10% drop in weight lowers your risk for getting Type 2 diabetes by nearly 60%.

High cholesterol

Being overweight has a potent influence on your cholesterol levels, and it’s not just the amount of total cholesterol in your blood. Extra weight negatively affects your cholesterol profile as a whole. People who are overweight tend to have elevated levels of LDL, a form of bad cholesterol, along with an increase in triglycerides, while levels of good cholesterol are often too low. Losing a small amount of weight can greatly improve your overall cholesterol profile.

Osteoarthritis

Too much body fat places extra pressure on your joints and raises the risk for osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis. Osteoarthritis occurs when the connective tissue that protects your joints wears down and the bones are left without enough cushion between them. This painful condition limits range of motion, and when it’s severe it can significantly impact your day-to-day life. Trimming down will ease the pressure on your joints and keep them protected as you age.

Obstructive sleep apnea

Being overweight, and particularly being obese, raises your risk of having of sleep problems, including obstructive sleep apnea. Sleep apnea occurs when you stop breathing multiple times during sleep. You may be completely unaware that it’s happening, but feeling unrested after a night’s sleep is one sign.

Excess weight increases your risk because the extra fat around the neck compromises your airway when the soft muscles in the throat relax during shut-eye. Slimming down means less fat around your neck, so fewer chances of airway obstruction, lowering your sleep apnea risk.

High blood pressure

Elevated blood pressure puts you at a major risk for heart disease and carrying too much fat raises your hypertension risk. Body fat isn’t just a harmless substance that stores extra energy. Small amounts are necessary for your health, but too much fat tissue increases inflammation -- and it’s this inflammation that contributes to the development of high blood pressure. Patients experience a significant drop in blood pressure when they lose 5-10% of their body weight.

Stroke

Every year close to 800,000 people in the United States suffers a stroke. Most people mistakenly believe only older adults are at risk. The truth is, overweight adults of all ages are at an increased stroke risk. Obesity is the primary risk factor for stroke. High cholesterol and high blood pressure are other major risk factors, both of which overweight adults tend to have.

Degree of obesity correlates with risk, which means the more overweight you are, the higher your stroke risk. That’s why losing even a small amount of weight can have a beneficial impact on your risk.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

The incidence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is rising in the United States, and obesity puts you at risk. NAFLD occurs when too much fat is stored in liver cells. This causes inflammation, which can progress and lead to irreversible liver damage. At its most severe, it can lead to scarring of the liver and the need for a liver transplant.

Roughly 80-100 million people in the United States are living with NAFLD, and it’s closely linked to metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions that occur together, including hypertension, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar.

Certain cancers

Perhaps most troubling of all, overweight and obesity increases the risk of 13 types of cancer, including colon, throat, breast, kidney, and liver. In fact, obesity-related cancers account for up to 40% of cancers diagnosed in the United States. This is yet another reason why it’s crucial to get your weight under control, if you’re overweight.

Weight problems take a hefty toll on the body and mind, and the team at Nova Physician Wellness Center is here to help. Dr. Suri and Dr. Chaudhary help patients lose weight and keep it off with effective dietary programs and nutritional counseling. For a comprehensive consultation call our office in Leesburg or Fairfax, Virginia, or book online today.

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