Obesity: Higher Risk of Diseases

If America is the richest and the most progressive country in the world then why does America have the most obese people in the world? Obesity has been on the rise for years in adults and even children. The deaths caused by obesity have risen drastically.

So why? There's no mystery to this question, just look at the American peoples lifestyle. Americans eat fast food, microwave dinners, and packaged and processed food. They are cheap, quick and convenient. Just look at the TV ads; they are filled with high-calorie, high-sugar, and high fat. This has even been brought into our schools. How many times is a child to eat grease french-fries? They are served everyday because they are fast and easy to prepare.

What happen to eating off the land? What happened to our fruits and vegetables? There still there but who wants them when you can get a BIG fat greasy hamburger that's the size of a small soccer ball, American do.

The other problem is that Americans are lazy people when it comes to exercise. They would rather use the latest gadget that's hot off the market and not move than to get up and do it for them selves. Americans would rather get in their car and drive to the corner market than walk. By the way, Americans have more cars per household than any other country. This proves how lazy American's are.

So American's are paying for it with their health. I'm not saying that it is all American's fault. It's the way the world has progressed that has made American's this way. There are also some medical conditions that contribute to obesity like the thyroid gland.

Obesity comes with a higher death rate by raising the risk of illnesses from:

Heart Disease and Stroke
These are the two leading causes of death in both men and women in the United States. High blood pressure is a major factor for heart disease and stroke than for some one that is not obese. Obese people are more likely to have angina, which can cause a sudden death without any warning.

Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is the most common type of diabetes in America. This reduces the body's ability to control blood sugar. It is a major cause of heart disease, stroke, kidney disease and blindness plus early death. Obese people have a 50% greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes than people that are not over weight.

The way to help reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes is to loose weight and start exercising. Even a brisk walk in the evening can help.

Cancer
Obese women can develop cancer of the uterus, cervix, ovary, breast, gallbladder, and colon. Obese men can develop cancer of the colon, rectum and prostate.

Sleep Apnea
This is a serious condition that is directly related to being obese. It can cause a person to stop breathing for short periods of time and to snore heavily. It can also cause daytime sleepiness and heart failure. The higher body weight you have the increase in sleep apnea.

Osteoarthritis
This is a joint disorder and affects the knees, hips, and lower back. The more weight you carry around the more pressure you put on these joints and the cartilage begins to disintegrate. Weight loss can decrease the stress.

Gout
Gout is high levels of uric acid in the blood that causes stones or crystals to form into a mass and is deposited in the joints. The higher the bodies weight the higher risk of developing Gout.

Gallbladder Disease
Your risk of gallbladder disease increases as your weight increases.

Obesity can also interfere with: complications of pregnancy, menstrual irregularities, hirsutism (excess body and facial hair), stress incontinence (urine leakage), increased surgical risk, and Mental Health conditions (depression, feeling of shame and low self-esteem).

Changing your lifestyle can lower these risk factor and diseases. Stay away from the fast foods and visit your farmers market for fresh fruits and vegetables. Cut out your meat products or at least cut them way down, all high-sugar and high sodium foods need to go also. Start exercising, start out by just a short walk everyday and work up to a mile. Keep adding distance as you progress. When you feel comfortable add in another exercise than you might enjoy like bike riding. Never take the elevator, walk that flight of stairs.

Look back at your ancestors, a lot of these diseases weren't even heard of, that's because they ate off the land and did physical work, not set and watch TV.