Who is obesity effecting

Many factors influence body weight- genes , though the effect is small, and heredity is not destiny; prenatal and early life influences; poor diets ; too much television watching ; too little physical activity and sleep ; and our food and physical activity environment. At its most basic, of course, obesity results when someone regularly takes in more calories than needed. The body stores these excess calories as body fat, and over time the extra pounds add up.

Eat fewer calories than the body burns, weight goes down. A complex web surrounds a basic problem. Heredity plays a role in obesity but generally to a much lesser degree than many people might believe.

And healthy lifestyles can counteract these genetic effects. Because apnea episodes interrupt the normal sleep cycle, you may not reach restful sleep. This can lead to fatigue tiredness and drowsiness. If untreated, this drowsiness may raise your risk of motor vehicle accidents. Cancer affects more than half a million lives per year in the United States alone. Obesity is believed to cause up to 90, cancer deaths each year. As body mass index BMI increases, so does your risk of cancer and death from cancer.

These cancers include:. For people with severe obesity, the death rate increases for all types of cancer. The death rate is 52 percent higher for men and 62 percent higher for women 9. Obesity puts a strain on your whole circulatory system, which carries blood through your body through your vessels arteries and veins.

This strain increases your risk for stroke and vessel damage in the brain. Obesity can lead to other stroke risk factors. Stroke risk factors include heart disease, hypertension, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes called metabolic syndrome when someone has three or more of these diseases and obstructive sleep apnea Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease GERD , or heartburn, causes stomach acid or intestinal secretions to damage your esophagus.

It is a broad swath of harms that has a huge societal effect—on the economy, national productivity, and even national defense. The health care costs of obesity in the U. This includes money spent directly on medical care and prescription drugs related to obesity. But obesity has other costs associated with it, too, among them, the cost of lost days of work, higher employer insurance premiums, and lower wages and incomes linked to obesity-related illnesses.

Countries with lower obesity rates than the U. Perhaps one of the most surprising consequences of the current obesity epidemic in the U. Read more: economic costs. Page last reviewed: 16 May Next review due: 16 May How to tell if you're obese The most widely used method to check if you're a healthy weight is body mass index BMI. For most adults, a BMI of: Risks of obesity It's very important to take steps to tackle obesity because, as well as causing obvious physical changes, it can lead to a number of serious and potentially life-threatening conditions.

These include: type 2 diabetes coronary heart disease some types of cancer, such as breast cancer and bowel cancer stroke Obesity can also affect your quality of life and lead to psychological problems, such as depression and low self-esteem. Causes of obesity Obesity is generally caused by consuming more calories, particularly those in fatty and sugary foods, than you burn off through physical activity.

Find out why sitting too much is bad for your health There are also some underlying health conditions that can occasionally contribute to weight gain, such as an underactive thyroid gland hypothyroidism , although these types of conditions do not usually cause weight problems if they're effectively controlled with medicines.

Treating obesity The best way to treat obesity is to eat a healthy reduced-calorie diet and exercise regularly. To do this, you should: eat a balanced calorie-controlled diet as recommended by a GP or weight loss management health professional such as a dietitian join a local weight loss group take up activities such as fast walking , jogging , swimming or tennis for to minutes 2.

Other obesity-related problems Obesity can cause a number of further problems, including difficulties with daily activities and serious health conditions. Day-to-day problems related to obesity include: breathlessness increased sweating snoring difficulty doing physical activity often feeling very tired joint and back pain low confidence and self-esteem feeling isolated The psychological problems associated with being obese can also affect your relationships with family and friends, and may lead to depression.

Outlook There's no quick fix for obesity.