What are the Health Risks of Obesity?

Many health disorders and ailments are caused as a result of irregular eating habits and an improper diet. A diet that is not rich in balanced food can lead to many health issues. One such major health concern is obesity and there are several health risks associated with obesity.  Obesity is a condition where an individual accumulates a high amount of fat in the body.  This body fat, in turn, becomes the root cause of several bodily diseases.

For instance, if a person starts  consuming a lot of fatty and oily food or junk food from outside, it is very likely that over a certain time period he/she will become obese. Along with binge-eating, if you also start the habit of staying awake till late in the night and take a lot of stress, you are sure to fall into the trap of obesity. And Obesity can cause harmful critical diseases which would cost you a huge amount in terms of treatment. So, let us take note of some health risks of obesity.

Health Risks of Obesity

Obese people are normally prone to several health conditions. In fact, the obesity risk factors in terms of diseases among the overweight is always greater as compared to others.

Obesity increases the risk of some of the diseases like diabetes, Hypertension, Coronary heart diseases, High blood cholesterol, bone and joint pains, liver conditions, gallstones and some types of cancer among others. Most of these conditions are the root causes of critical diseases.

Thus, obesity can cause some major health issues and can develop several critical illnesses. Hence, people who eat unhealthy and are on improper diets should be very careful about their health. Along with controlling your eating habits, an obese should have a critical illness health insurance plan to stay away from the risks of several diseases. That is because a regular health insurance plan may not be able to cover you against most critical diseases.

If you go by numbers, India at present is undergoing a phase of obesity crisis affecting as many as 135 million people, which is likely to get worse in the coming years. And this is seen among the young people especially.

Thus, along with enhancing your health insurance cover, keeping a check on your BMI or Body Mass Index is equally important. So, make sure not to end up weighing beyond the expected limit as per BMI on your weighing scale.

Many people who suffer from stress go on a eating spree, which causes immense effect in terms of health concerns caused by obesity. So, it is better to find a solution to your stress by treating it on time with a therapist rather than going on binge-eating. The therapist will help in resolving the underlying issues that cause the stress.

Diseases Caused by Obesity

Of late, many critical diseases are associated with obesity and lifestyle related conditions. Among them, diabetes is one of the major problems that is a reason for critical heart conditions like heart attack, stroke and so on. So, how does obesity increase the risk of diabetes?

There are various substances like Non Esterified Fatty Acid, hormones, glycerol etc., whose amount is more in an obese person’s body. These substances that are involved in the insulin resistance process, enhance the risk of diabetes along with other factors.

Now, let us consider how keeping a tab on BMI can help in controlling obesity.

Role of BMI in Controlling Obesity

BMI is a factor that help you find out if your are obese. The BMI of your body estimates the accumulated level of body fat that you have gained and compares the same with your height and weight. There are many apps that help in calculating the BMI level of your body by entering details like age, height, weight etc.

25 points is the BMI level for obesity and as it increases the risk of having health problems becomes greater because of obesity. Below are the different BMI levels to define fitness brackets among individuals.

25.0 to 29.9 BMI –  means overweight but not obese

30.0 to 34.9 BMI – means Class 1 obesity with low-risk

35.0 to 39.9 BMI – means Class 2 obesity with moderate-risk

40.0 or above BMI – means Class 3 obesity with high-risk

There is another way to check the BMI by checking the waist size of an individual. If a person has more fat around his/her waist, it can cause various health issues. So, as per the waist size, women with 35 inches and men with 40 inches of waist have greater chances of obesity.