According to the CDC, childhood obesity in the United States has more than tripled over the last 30 years. Obesity is the result of an imbalance in calories, meaning that the amount of calories being eaten exceeds the amount expended by exercise or daily activity. Obesity is not without health impacts; both immediate and long-term.
Cardiovascular Disease
Obese youth often have a higher risk factor for developing cardiovascular disease, which can result in high cholesterol levels and high blood pressure. In a study conducted by the CDC, 70% of obese youth have at least one risk factor for developing cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States today. Symptoms of cardiovascular problems may include shortness of breath, irregular heartbeat, weakness or dizziness, nausea and vomiting.
Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance are linked to obesity and lack of physical activity. In type 2 diabetes, the body makes insulin, but cannot use it properly, which means that the body overproduces insulin to maintain a normal blood sugar. This overproduction often leads to excess weight and fat, especially around the midsection. Over time, high blood sugar levels cause heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney failure, amputations and can lead to complications in pregnancy. Type 2 diabetes is largely preventable and changes in exercise and diet can delay the development of diabetes. If you already have type 2 diabetes, you can make changes to your overall health through proper food choices, regular exercise, and reducing stress. Based on the National Diabetes Fact Sheet, 23.6 million children and adults in the United States have diabetes, which means about 7.8% of the population have diabetes. However, this does not include those with undiagnosed diabetes or pre-diabetes. If you have diabetes, you may have an increased thirst and frequency urinating, increase in hunger, changes in weight, fatigue, blurred vision, sores and infections, and dark patches of skin.
Fatty Liver Disease
One of the primary causes of fatty liver disease is insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, which occurs when the body becomes insensitive to the effect of insulin. A common risk factor for fatty liver disease is central abdominal obesity or increased weight around the stomach. The higher the body mass index, the worse the fatty liver disease, which includes symptoms like fatigue, pain in the upper right abdomen, and sudden weight loss; however, it can occur without symptoms.
Breathing Problems
Breathing problems, such as sleep apnea is more common in those who are overweight or obese. Other common breathing issues include asthma, severe bronchitis, and other respiratory issues.
Arthritis
Muscoskeletal disorders, such as osteoarthritis are more prevalent among obese patients, particularly in the knees. Osteoarthritis increases with every 2 pound weight gain. Arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disorder and affects joint lining, painful swelling, bone erosion, fatigue, and stiffness.
Gallbladder Disease
Gallbladder disease, such as gallstones is approximately three times more common than in non-obese patients. Gallbladder disease can involve pain in the abdomen, the shoulder blades, fever, chills, indigestion, bloating, nausea and vomiting.
Gynecological Problems
Girls and young women may have problems with menstruation or infertility as a result of being overweight, often because weight greatly affects hormone levels. Regular exercise can help women of all ages reduce symptoms of PMS, like menstrual cramps.
Deep Vein Thrombosis
Deep vein thrombosis, also known as DVT can become life threatening, especially if part of the blood clot travels to the heart or the lungs. Blood is meant to flow, but in deep vein thrombosis, blood becomes stagnant. Lack of exercise and increased weight can contribute to deep vein thrombosis, which may begin with a warm area of the skin, redness, tenderness and swelling.
Death
Recent studies show that obesity is linked to over 110,000 deaths in the United States per year.