Health Risks Related to Obesity

Obesity Health Risks

People with obesity are more likely to suffer from a range of serious and even potentially fatal health complications, including:

Sleep Apnea and Breathing Problems

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a condition that causes people to temporarily stop breathing during sleep, and is most common in people with obesity. Excess fat in the neck can obstruct the upper airway, which becomes relaxed during sleep, impacting the way a person breathes. Furthermore, excess abdominal fat can compress the chest wall, which decreases lung volume and diminishes airflow—also increasing the likelihood of airway collapse during sleep. Not only does an increase in body mass index correlate with a higher risk of obstructive sleep apnea, there is also evidence that sleep deprivation caused by sleep apnea can cause a person to gain weight.^3,4

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis, and this condition is the most prominent way obesity affects the musculoskeletal system. Osteoarthritis (OA) is a painful and disabling degenerative disorder of the joints and is impacted by obesity in a number of ways. First, excess body weight causes more pressure to be put on certain joints, such as the knees and hips, which causes excess stress on those joints. However, people with obesity are also more likely to develop OA in non weight-bearing joints, like those in the hands. This is because body fat releases proteins that cause inflammation, including inflammation of the joints.⁵

High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure (hypertension) is a leading cause of heart disease and strokes, and obesity is a major risk factor for high blood pressure. According to recent research, obesity can impact a specific protein that is partially responsible for maintaining normal blood pressure, which is one reason why individuals with obesity are more likely to have high blood pressure.The most effective way for people with obesity to combat high blood pressure is to lose a significant amount of weight, often through bariatric surgery.⁶

Heart Disease

Obesity can lead to high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome: all of which are prominent risk factors for heart disease. Obesity is also associated with a higher risk of an enlarged left ventricle, which increases the risk of heart failure. Women with obesity are 50% more likely to develop heart disease, and men with obesity are 72% more likely. Conversely, a healthy diet and active lifestyle can dramatically decrease a person’s risk of heart disease.^7,8

Gout

Gout is a type of arthritis that causes painful, sharp crystals to form in the joints. High blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, and diabetes can all be results of obesity, and each of these conditions increases the likelihood of developing gout.

Cancer

The National Cancer Institute reports that obesity may be a risk factor for a long list of cancers, including uterine, rectal, prostate, pancreatic, ovarian, liver, kidney, gallbladder, esophageal, endometrial, colon, cervical, and breast cancer.⁹

Diminish Obesity Health Risks

There is no question that obesity can increase the risk for a number of serious or even potentially fatal health complications. Fortunately, these risks can be dramatically diminished by losing weight, especially massive weight loss through medical assistance or bariatric surgery.

¹ Powel, Alvin. “Obesity? Diabetes? We’ve been set up.” Harvard Gazette, March 7, 2002. Available: https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2012/03/the-big-setup. Accessed October 20, 2020.
² Al-Goblan AS, Al-Alfi MA, Khan MZ. Mechanism linking diabetes mellitus and obesity. Diabetes Metab Syndr Obes. 2014;7:587-591. Published 2014 Dec 4. doi:10.2147/DMSO.S67400. Available: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4259868/. Accessed October 20, 2020.
³ Spiegel K, Tasali E, Penev P, Van Cauter E. Brief communication: Sleep curtailment in healthy young men is associated with decreased leptin levels, elevated ghrelin levels, and increased hunger and appetite. Ann Intern Med. 2004 Dec 7;141(11):846-50. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-141-11-200412070-00008. PMID: 15583226. Available: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15583226/. Accessed October 20, 2020.
⁴ Young T, Skatrud J, Peppard PE. Risk Factors for Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Adults. JAMA. 2004;291(16):2013–2016. doi:10.1001/jama.291.16.2013. Available: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/198600. Accessed October 20, 2020.
⁵ King LK, March L, Anandacoomarasamy A. Obesity & osteoarthritis. Indian J Med Res. 2013;138(2):185-193. Available: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3788203/. Accessed October 20, 2020.
⁶ Ottolini M, Hong K, Cope EL, Daneva Z, DeLalio LJ, Sokolowski JD, Marziano C, Nguyen NY, Altschmied J, Haendeler J, Johnstone SR, Kalani MY, Park MS, Patel RP, Liedtke W, Isakson BE, Sonkusare SK. Local Peroxynitrite Impairs Endothelial Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid 4 Channels and Elevates Blood Pressure in Obesity. Circulation. 2020 Apr 21;141(16):1318-1333. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.119.043385. Epub 2020 Feb 3. PMID: 32008372; PMCID: PMC7195859.
⁷ Obesity and Heart DiseaseA Statement for Healthcare Professionals From the Nutrition Committee, American Heart Association, Robert H. Eckel and For the Nutrition Committee. doi.org/10.1161/01.CIR.96.9.3248 Circulation. 1997;96:3248–3250. Available: https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/01.CIR.96.9.3248. Accessed October 20, 2020.
⁸ Cleveland Clinic. Obesity & Heart Disease. Available: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/17308-obesity–heart-disease. Accessed October 20, 2020.
⁹ National Cancer Institute. Cancers Associated with Overweight and Obesity. Available: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/obesity/overweight-cancers-infographic. Accessed October 20, 2020.