Health complications that are closely linked to Obesity
By Davis Muli
Health complications that are closely linked to Obesity
Obesity has been described as the state of being grossly fat or overweight. Here in Kenya, Obesity cases have risen in the last 10 years. This has been greatly attributed to the increase of fast food joints in urban and now in rural areas.
According to a joint study by German-based University of Göttingen and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), there is a “strong” link between modernizing of retail sector in Kenya and bad nutritional outcomes such as obesity.
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The study links supermarket shopping to significant increase in consumption of dairy, vegetable oil, processed meat products such as sausages and highly processed food such as bread, pasta, snacks, and soft drinks.
However, the consumers of such products are oblivious of the health risks that they are posing to their bodies. Here is a summary of health complications that are closely linked to obesity.
- Type 2 Diabetes
If you have type 2 diabetes your body does not use insulin properly. This is called insulin resistance. Being overweight causes cells to change, making them resistant to the hormone insulin. Insulin carries sugar from blood to the cells, where it is used for energy.
- High Blood Pressure
Blood pressure is the measure of the force of blood pushing against blood vessel walls. The heart pumps blood into blood vessels, which carry the blood throughout the body. Having a large body size may increase blood pressure because your heart needs to pump harder to supply blood to all your cells. Excess fat may also damage your kidneys, which help regulate blood pressure.
- Heart Disease
People who are overweight or obese often have health problems that may increase the risk for heart disease. These health problems include, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar. In addition, excess weight may cause changes to your heart that make it work harder to send blood to all the cells in your body.
- Stroke
Stroke is a disease that affects the arteries leading to and within the brain. Overweight and obesity are known to increase blood pressure. High blood pressure is the leading cause of strokes. Excess weight also increases your chances of developing other problems linked to strokes
