Improve Your Quality Of Life

Correspondent | Tuesday February 8, 2022 06:00

According to information published by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), obesity is serious because it is associated with poorer mental health outcomes and reduced quality of life. A report by Global Nutrition published in 22 states: “Botswana has shown limited progress towards achieving the diet-related non-communicable disease (NCD) targets. The country has shown no progress towards achieving the target for obesity, with an estimated 32.1% of adult (aged 18 years and over) women and 9.7% of adult men living with obesity. Botswana's obesity prevalence is higher than the regional average of 20.7% for women and 9.2% for men. At the same time, diabetes is estimated to affect 10.6% of adult women and 8.8% of adult men.” This indeed shows that obesity is a major concern in our country. Obesity has painful consequences that can be avoided.

Health Consequences of Obesity

People who have obesity are at an increased risk of developing serious diseases and health conditions. Some of the health conditions include:

• All-causes of death (mortality)

• High blood pressure (hypertension)

• High LDL cholesterol, low HDL cholesterol, or high levels of triglycerides (Dyslipidemia)

• Type 2 diabetes

• Coronary heart disease

• Stroke

• Gallbladder disease

• Osteoarthritis (a breakdown of cartilage and bone within a joint)

• Sleep apnea and breathing problems

• Man types of cancers • Low quality of life

• Mental illness such as clinical depression, anxiety, and other mental disorders

• Body pain and difficulty with physical functioning

People living with obesity have higher chances of developing a range of serious medical issues. Lets look at how obesity affects the way your body functions increasing the risks already mentioned about

1. Nervous system Being overweight or having obesity greatly increases the risk of stroke, where blood stops flowing to your brain. Obesity can also have a profound effect on your mental health. This includes a higher risk of depression, poor self-esteem, and issues with body image.

2. Respiratory system Fat stored around the neck can make the airway too small, which can make breathing difficult at night. This is called sleep apnea. Breathing may actually stop for short periods of time in people with sleep apnea.

3. Digestive system Obesity has been associated with a higher risk of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). GERD occurs when stomach acid leaks into the esophagus. In addition, obesity increases the risk of developing gallstones. This is when bile builds up and hardens in the gallbladder. This may require surgery. Fat can also build up around the liver and lead to liver damage, scar tissues, and even liver failure.

4. Cardiovascular and endocrine system In people with obesity, the heart needs to work harder to pump blood around the body. This leads to high blood pressure, or hypertension.

High blood pressure is the leading cause of stroke. Obesity can also make the body’s cells resistant to insulin. Insulin is a hormone that carries sugar from your blood to your cells, where it’s used for energy. If you’re resistant to insulin, the sugar can’t be taken up by the cells, resulting in high blood sugar. This increases a person’s risk of having type 2 diabetes, a condition where your blood sugar is too high. Type 2 diabetes is linked to a range of other health issues, including heart disease, kidney disease, stroke, amputation, and blindness.

High blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar on top of excess body fat can make the blood vessels that carry blood to the heart become hard and narrow. Hardened arteries, also called atherosclerosis, can increase the risk of heart attack and stroke. Diabetes and high blood pressure are also common causes of chronic kidney disease.

5. Reproductive system Obesity can make it more difficult for a woman to get pregnant. It can also increase a woman’s risk of having serious complications during pregnancy.

6. Skeletal and muscular systems Obesity can cause deteriorating bone density and muscle mass. This is referred to as osteosarcopenic obesity. Osteosarcopenic obesity can lead to a higher risk of fractures, physical disability, insulin resistance, and poorer overall health outcomes. Extra weight can also put too much pressure on the joints, leading to pain and stiffness.

7. Integumentary (skin) system Rashes can occur where the skin of body fat folds. A condition known as acanthosis nigricans can also occur. Acanthosis nigricans is characterized by discoloration and thickening of the skin in the folds and creases of your body.

8. Other effects on the body Obesity has been linked with an increased risk of many different types of cancers, including endometrial, liver, kidney, cervical, colon, esophageal, and pancreatic cancer, among others. We will tackle the issue of Diagnosis and treatment of obesity in our next issue.

Information sourced from Mayo Clinic, Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and Healthline.com