Over-Weight and Your Health

Obesity is a term that means you weigh at least 20% more than what is considered a normal weight for your height. If you’re carrying too many loads, you face a higher-than-average risk of a whopping 50 different health problems. These health conditions include the nation’s leading causes of death:

• Heart disease and stroke
• High blood pressure
• Diabetes
• Some Cancers
• Gallbladder disease and gallstones
• Osteoarthritis
• Gout
• Breathing problems, such as sleep apnea (when a person stops breathing for short episodes during sleep) and asthma

Perhaps even more compelling is the strong link between excess weight and depression, because this common mood disorder can have a profound, negative impact on your daily life.

Obesity and Your Health

Being overweight or obese isn't a cosmetic problem. These conditions just greatly increase your risk for the health problems. But not everyone who is obese has all of those problems. The risk rises if you have a family history of one of those conditions.

Obesity related Health Problems

Overweight and Obesity-Related Health Problems

Coronary Heart Disease

As your body mass index rises, so does your risk for coronary heart disease (CHD). CHD is a condition in which a waxy substance called plaque builds up inside the coronary arteries. Plaque can narrow or block the coronary arteries and reduce blood flow to the heart muscle. This can cause angina or a heart attack. 

Obesity also can lead to heart failure. This is a serious condition in which your heart can't pump enough blood to meet your body's needs.

The good news is that losing a small amount of weight can reduce your chances of developing heart disease or a stroke. Losing 5%-10% of your weight is proven to lower your chance of developing heart disease.

Obesity cause CHD and Stroke

Stroke

Being overweight or obese can lead to a buildup of plaque in your arteries. Eventually, an area of plaque can rupture, causing a blood clot to form.

If the clot is close to your brain, it can block the flow of blood and oxygen to your brain and cause a stroke. The risk of having a stroke rises as BMI increases.

High Blood and Stroke

High Blood Pressure

Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of the arteries as the heart pumps blood. If this pressure rises and stays high over time, it can damage the body in many ways. Your chances of having high blood pressure are greater if you're overweight or obese.

Type 2 Diabetes

Most people who have type 2 diabetes are overweight or obese. Diabetes is a disease in which the body's blood glucose, or blood sugar, level is too high. Normally, the body breaks down food into glucose and then carries it to cells throughout the body. The cells use a hormone called insulin to turn the glucose into energy.

In type 2 diabetes, the body's cells don't use insulin properly. At first, the body reacts by making more insulin. Over time, however, the body can't make enough insulin to control its blood sugar level. Diabetes is a leading cause of early death, CHD, stroke, kidney disease, and blindness. 

Obesity and diabetes

You can cut your risk of developing type 2 diabetes by losing weight, eating a balanced diet, getting adequate sleep, and exercising more. Becoming more active may also reduce your need for diabetes medication if you are diabetic.

Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic syndrome is the name for a group of risk factors that raises your risk for heart disease and other health problems, such as diabetes and stroke.

You can develop any one of these risk factors by itself, but they tend to occur together. A diagnosis of metabolic syndrome is made if you have at least three of the following risk factors:

• A large waistline. This is called abdominal obesity or "having an apple shape." Having extra fat in the waist area is a greater risk factor for CHD than having extra fat in other parts of the body, such as on the hips.
• A higher than normal triglyceride level (or you're on medicine to treat high triglycerides).
• A lower than normal HDL cholesterol level (or you're on medicine to treat low HDL cholesterol).
• Higher than normal blood pressure (or you're on medicine to treat high blood pressure).
• Higher than normal fasting blood sugar (or you're on medicine to treat diabetes).3

Gout

Gout is a disease that affects the joints. It happens when you have too much uric acid in your blood. The extra uric acid can form crystals that deposit in the joints. Gout is more common in overweight people. The more you weight, the more likely you are to get gout.

Over the short term, sudden weight changes may lead to a flare-up of gout. If you have a history of gout, check with your doctor for the best way to lose weight.

Cancer

Cancers of the colon, breast (after menopause), endometrium (the lining of the uterus), kidney, and esophagus are linked to obesity. Some studies have also reported links between obesity and cancers of the gallbladder, ovaries, and pancreas.

Fatty liver can cause liver cancer

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is a common joint condition that most often affects the knee, hip, or lower back. Carrying extra weights places extra pressure on these joints and wears away the cartilage (tissue cushioning the joints) that normally protects them.

Obesity cause Osteoarthritis

Weight loss can ease stress on the knees, hips, and lower back and may improve the symptoms of osteoarthritis.

Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a common disorder in which you have one or more pauses in breathing or shallow breaths while you sleep.

A person who has sleep apnea may have more fat stored around the neck. This can narrow the airway, making it hard to breathe.

Can cause Death while sleeping

Obesity Hypoventilation Syndrome

Obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS) is a breathing disorder that affects some obese people. In OHS, poor breathing results in too much carbon dioxide (hypoventilation) and too little oxygen in the blood (hypoxemia).

Hypoventilation Syndrome

OHS can lead to serious health problems and may even cause death.

Reproductive Problems

Obesity can cause menstrual issues and infertility in women as well as sperm quality in men.

Gallbladder Disease

Gallstones are hard pieces of stone-like material that form in the gallbladder. Gallstones can cause stomach or back pain.They're mostly made of cholesterol. People who are overweight or obese are at increased risk of having gallstones. Also, being overweight may result in an enlarged gallbladder that doesn't work well.

Ironically, weight loss itself, particularly rapid weight loss or loss of a large amount of weight, can make you more likely to get gallstones. Losing weight at a rate of about 1 pound a week is less likely to cause gallstones.

Overweight and Obesity-Related Health Problems in Children and Teens

Overweight and obesity also increase the health risks for children and teens. Type 2 diabetes once was rare in Malaysian children, but an increasing number of children are developing the disease.

Also, overweight children are more likely to become overweight or obese as adults, with the same disease risks.

Obesity in Children is getting more serious

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Understanding Stomach Ache

A stomach ache is a term often used to refer to cramps or a dull ache in the tummy (abdomen). It's usually short-lived and is often not serious. The pain may come in waves: sharp enough that you catch your breath, then gone as quickly as it came. Maybe you're spending what seems like hours in the bathroom — or just wish you could.

Severe abdominal pain is a greater cause for concern. If it starts suddenly and unexpectedly, it should be regarded as a medical emergency, especially if the pain is concentrated in a particular area. Go to your nearest hospital accident and emergency (A&E) department if you have the symptoms.

Stomach ache

Stomach cramps with bloating

Stomach cramps with bloating are often caused by trapped wind. This is a very common problem that can be embarrassing, but is easily dealt with. Your chemist will be able to recommend a product such as buscopan or mebeverine, which can be bought over the counter to treat the problem.

Some people experience nausea

Sudden stomach cramps with diarrhea

If your stomach cramps have started recently and you also have diarrhea, the cause may be a tummy bug (gastroenteritis). This means you have a viral or bacterial infection of the stomach and bowel, which should get better without treatment after a few days.

Gastroenteritis may be caused by coming into close contact with someone who's infected, or by eating contaminated food (food poisoning). If you have repeated bouts of stomach cramps and diarrhea, you may have a long-term condition, such as irritable bowel syndrome.

Sometimes it can be something with your colon

Infection

When bacteria or viruses get into a person's digestive system, the body reacts by trying to rid itself of the infection — often through vomiting or diarrhea.

• Bacterial infections cause what we call "food poisoning." Bacteria are also responsible for other conditions that may give a person belly pain, such as pneumonia, urinary tract infections, strep throat, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), or the rare condition toxic shock syndrome.
• Viruses, another type of infection, are behind what we call "stomach flu." Both bacteria and viruses can be easily passed from person to person. The good news is you can often avoid them simply by washing your hands properly and often and by not sharing cups, straws, or utensils with others.

Sometimes one experience only back pain

Sudden severe abdominal pain

If you have sudden agonising pain in a particular area of your tummy, call your GP immediately or go to your nearest A&E department. It may be a sign of a serious problem that could rapidly get worse without treatment.

Serious causes of sudden severe abdominal pain include:

• Appendicitis – the swelling of the appendix (a finger-like pouch connected to the large intestine), which causes agonizing pain in the lower right-hand side of your abdomen, and means your appendix will need to be removed
• A bleeding or perforated stomach ulcer – a bleeding, open sore in the lining of your stomach or duodenum (the first part of the small intestine)
• Acute cholecystitis – inflammation of the gallbladder, which is often caused by gallstones; in many cases, your gallbladder will need to be removed
• Kidney stones – small stones may be passed out in your urine, but larger stones may block the kidney tubes, and you'll need to go to hospital to have them broken up
• Diverticulitis – inflammation of the small pouches in the bowel that sometimes requires treatment with antibiotics in hospital

Acute Appendicitis can be fatal 

If your doctor suspects you have one of these conditions, they may refer you to hospital immediately.

Sudden and severe pain in your abdomen can also sometimes be caused by an infection of the stomach and bowel (gastroenteritis). It may also be caused by a pulled muscle in your abdomen or by an injury.

Long-term or recurring abdominal pain

Consult a doctor if you or your child have persistent or repeated abdominal pain. The cause is often not serious and can be managed.

Possible causes in adults include:

• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) – a common condition that causes bouts of stomach cramps, bloating, diarrhoea or constipation; the pain is often relieved when you go to the toilet
• Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) – long-term conditions that involve inflammation of the gut, including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis
• Aurinary tract infection that keeps returning – in these cases, you will usually also experience a burning sensation when you urinate
• Constipation
• Period pain – painful muscle cramps in women that are linked to the menstrual cycle
• Other stomach-related problems – such as a stomach ulcer, heartburn and acid re-flux, or gastritis (inflammation of the stomach lining)

Possible causes in children include:

• Constipation
• A urinary tract infection that keeps returning
• Heartburn and acid re-flux 
• Abdominal migraines – recurrent episodes of abdominal pain with no identifiable cause

Acid re-flux can be the cause

When to See a Doctor

Sometimes, what seems like one problem — food poisoning, for example — can turn out to be something more serious, like appendicitis. So contact a doctor if pain is very strong, you're vomiting a lot, you already have another health condition, or the discomfort gets worse over time, doesn't go away, or wakes you up while you're sleeping.

Consult your doctor for your condition

Also let the doctor know if you have fever, pain when you pee, trouble pooping or peeing, blood in your poop or pee, if your belly pain is the result of an injury, or if you might be pregnant.

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