Obesity in the United States has become the greatest health crisis of our time affecting more Americans than any other health condition. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), obesity rates have increased by more than 60% among adults in the past 10 years affecting 60 million American adults. It is poised to overtake smoking as the number one preventable cause of death and disease.
Since 1980, the percentage of people who are overweight has doubled among children and tripled among adolescents. The World Health Organization projects that by 2025, 45% – 50% of all U.S. adults and 30% of all U.S. children will suffer from obesity. There are many theories as to why this is occurring, including: 1) a sedentary lifestyle, 2) consumption of too much food, 3) toxins in the environment, 4) genetics, 5) stress, 6) depression, or 7) food additives such as MSG. Overcoming the problem will require a comprehensive approach involving: 1) dietary changes, 2) increased activity levels and 3) nutritional supplementation.
Being overweight affects everything.
Being overweight not only affects how you look and feel it is also harmful to your health. Obesity is a major contributor to many chronic diseases and conditions, including: 1) Type II diabetes, 2) hypertension, 3) heart disease, 4) stroke, 5) breast cancer, 5) colon cancer, 6) gallbladder disease and 7) arthritis. Being overweight not only affects you, it also places a huge strain on our health care system. In 2003, the total cost of obesity in the United States was estimated at $137 billion of which $75 billion was for direct medical costs and $62 billion was for indirect costs. That expense boils down to a cost of approximately $350 per year for every single American adult. In fact, the cost in death, disability and lost productivity from obesity has come close to that of tobacco. A recent report notes that tobacco use is responsible for approximately 440,000 deaths per year whereas obesity is responsible for at least 300,000 deaths per year. Those who are obese suffer 30% – 50% more health problems than smokers or problem drinkers. Below is a brief description of each obesity-related, chronic condition:
Hypertension
Hypertension is the medical name for high blood pressure. With the significant rise in obesity in the last decade, we have also seen a corresponding increase in the prevalence of hypertension. While it is true that not all people who are overweight also suffer from high blood pressure, studies indicate that approximately 75% of hypertension cases are directly attributable to being overweight; making obesity the single greatest cause of hypertension in the American population. Typically, high blood pressure from being overweight occurs because of what is referred to as “peripheral resistance,” which simply means that it is harder for blood to flow through an overweight body. This combined with the fact that the heart has to pump extra blood to all of the extra tissue in the body, results in high blood pressure. High blood pressure increases your risk of a heart attack, stroke, kidney failure and macular degeneration.
Type II Diabetes
Type II diabetes is also referred to as adult-onset diabetes or noninsulin-dependent diabetes. It is the most common type of diabetes in the U.S. Type II diabetes is a disease in which blood sugar levels are above normal due to a loss of normal insulin function. This chronic elevation in blood sugar is a major cause of early death, heart disease, kidney disease, stroke, and blindness. More than 80 percent of people with Type II diabetes are overweight. It is not known exactly why people who are overweight are more likely to suffer from this disease. It may be that being overweight causes cells to change, making them less effective at using sugar from the blood. More commonly, those who are overweight develop insulin resistance, where the tissues of the body lose their sensitivity to insulin. You can lower your risk for developing Type II diabetes by losing weight and increasing the amount of physical activity you do. If you have Type II diabetes, losing weight and becoming more physically active can help you control your blood sugar levels and in some cases, actually reverse Type II diabetes. Losing weight and exercising more may also allow you to reduce the amount of diabetes medication you take. People who have diabetes or “pre-diabetes” (when blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not yet in the diabetic range) are more likely to have fatty liver disease than people without these conditions. Fatty liver disease is like alcoholic liver damage, but it is not caused by alcohol and can occur in people who drink little or no alcohol. Again, these conditions can be minimized or avoided altogether simply by changing your diet, increasing your activity level and supplementing with the right minerals and herbs.
Heart Disease
Heart disease is a term that means that the heart and circulation (blood flow) are not functioning normally either due to a heart attack, congestive heart failure, angina (chest pain), or abnormal heart rhythm. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S. and in most cases, is directly linked to unhealthy lifestyle habits and obesity. People who are overweight are more likely to suffer from high blood pressure, high levels of triglycerides (blood fats), elevated LDL cholesterol (a fat-like substance often called the “bad cholesterol”), and low levels of HDL cholesterol (the “good cholesterol”). These are all risk factors for heart disease and stroke. In addition, people with more body fat have higher blood levels of substances that cause inflammation, which raises the risk of heart disease. Even losing 5% – 10% of your body weight can significantly lower your chances for developing heart disease or having a stroke. If you weigh 200 pounds, this means losing as little as 10 pounds.
Gallbladder Disease
Gallstones are clusters of mostly cholesterol that form in the gallbladder and can cause severe abdominal or back pain. People who are overweight have a higher risk for developing gallbladder disease and gallstones and may have an enlarged gallbladder which may not work properly. Weight loss that is too rapid – 3 or more pounds per week – can actually increase your chance of developing gallstones. Modest, slow weight loss of about 1/2 to 2 pounds a week is a much healthier alternative and will not increase your risk of developing gallstones.
Cancer
Cancer is currenly the second leading cause of death in the United States. Cancer occurs when cells in one part of the body grow abnormally or out of control and possibly spread to other parts of the body. Being overweight increases your risk of developing several types of cancer, including: 1) cancers of the colon, 2) esophagus, 3) kidney,4) uterine and 5) postmenopausal breast cancer in women. Gaining weight during adult life increases the risk for several of these cancers. Being overweight also may increase the risk of dying from cancer. It is not known exactly how being overweight increases cancer risk but the current thinking is that fat cells make hormones that can affect cell growth and the abnormally high hormone levels ultimately lead to cancer. Several studies have shown that losing weight can dramatically reduce the cancer risk in people who are overweight.
Metabolic Syndrome
In an article appearing in the January 16, 2002, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that as many as 47 million Americans may exhibit a cluster of medical conditions (a “metabolic syndrome”) characterized by: 1) insulin resistance, 2) the presence of obesity, 3) abdominal fat, 4) high blood sugar, 5) elevated triglycerides, 6) high blood cholesterol and 7)high blood pressure. The root causes of the metabolic syndrome for a majority of individuals may be poor diet and insufficient physical activity. Currently, the most effective way to avoid or overcome metabolic syndrome is through a comprehensive program of diet and exercise.
Your Quality of Life
Although the physical effects of being overweight are bad enough obesity also saps your energy and damages your quality of life. People who are overweight frequently struggle with a poor self-esteem and many suffer from depression. At the center of obesity-depression link is biology, notably the hormonal pathway known as the HPA axis, the route of communication between the hypothalamus, the peanut-sized part of the brain that governs parts of the nervous system, the pituitary and adrenal glands, which secrete a variety of hormones. These three points of the body work together to maintain chemical equilibrium when the body is under stress. The HPA axis is responsible for releasing cortisol, the so-called “stress hormone” and plays a critical role in energy metabolism as well as other functions. The problem with cortisol is that it prompts the body to deposit fat around the abdomen; a pattern of fat storage that is especially hazardous to health. Obesity also carries a large social stigma and may bring on: 1)depression, 2) a low self-esteem, 3) poor body image and 4) may limit social mobility. It may even disrupt the normal hormonal pathways.
