There is a number of health, social and psychological consequences associated with overweight and obesity

Experts agree that obesity increases a person’s risk of serious illness. Many of the illnesses associated with obesity, such as heart disease, diabetes, and some forms of cancer, are very serious and often fatal. In most cases, those who are severely obese over a period of time are most likely to suffer from such diseases.

Psychosocial consequences include:

Social bias
Discrimination
Low self-esteem
Body shape dissatisfaction
Eating disorders, e.g. binge-eating disorder
Isolation
Depression.

Associated health consequences include:

Cardiovascular / heart disease
Type 2 diabetes / insulin resistance
High blood pressure / hypertension
High blood cholesterol
Gallbladder disease
Osteoarthritis
Gout
Certain types of cancer (breast, endometrial, cervical, colon, prostate, etc.)
Reproductive hormone abnormalities
Polycystic ovary syndrome
Impaired fertility
Breathlessness
Sleep apnoea
Low back pain (due to obesity)
Premature death.

Other conditions associated with obesity are hypertension (high blood pressure), gall bladder disease, reproductive problems and sleep disorders such as sleep apnea. Osteoarthritis, which may result in severe pain in the weight-bearing joints such as the knees, ankles, feet and hips, is also common in the obese. One of the most uncomfortable aspects of obesity is the emotional pain that the person experiences. The obese person may feel feelings of inadequacies and may feel unattractive. Because society sees them as lazy and gluttonous, they begin to see themselves in the same light. The obese person may face the prejudice and discrimination in the work place, in school setting and in many social situations. It causes them to feel intense feelings of rejection, shame and depression.

Heart Disease and Stroke

Heart disease and stroke are the leading causes of death and disability for both men and women. Overweight people are more likely to have high blood pressure, a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke, than people who are not overweight. Very high blood levels of cholesterol and triglycerides (blood fats) can also lead to heart disease and often are linked to being overweight. Being overweight also contributes to angina (chest pain caused by decreased oxygen to the heart) and sudden death from heart disease or stroke without any signs or symptoms.

Diabetes

Diabetes mellitus or type-2 diabetes, is the most common type of diabetes, which reduces your body’s ability to control blood sugar. It is one of the major factors that can cause early death, heart disease, kidney disease, stroke, and blindness. People who are obese are twice more likely to develop type-2 diabetes than those who are not obese. You can reduce your risk of developing this type of diabetes by both losing weight and by increasing your physical activity.

Cancer

Obesity can also lead to several types of cancers or aggravate the cancers, which are almost in their last stages. In women, it can cause the cancer of uterus, gallbladder, cervix, ovary, breast, and colon. Men who are obese can be at a risk of developing the cancer of colon, rectum, and prostate. Although, for the cancers of colon or breast, it has not been firmly established that they are caused because of overweight, in spite of closely related to weight.

Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a serious condition that is closely associated with being overweight. Sleep apnea can cause a person to stop breathing for short periods during sleep and to snore heavily. Sleep apnea may cause daytime sleepiness and even heart failure. The risk for sleep apnea increases with higher body weights. Weight loss usually improves sleep apnea.

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is a chronic joint disorder that most often affects the joints in your knees, hips, and lower back. Extra weight appears to increase the risk of osteoarthritis by placing extra pressure on these joints and wearing away the cartilage (tissue that cushions the joints) that normally protects them. Weight loss can decrease stress on the knees, hips, and lower back and may improve the symptoms of osteoarthritis.

Gout

Gout is also one of the consequences of obesity. Gout is a joint disease caused by high levels of uric acid in the blood. Uric acid sometimes forms into solid stone or crystal masses that become deposited in the joints. Gout is more common in overweight people and the risk of developing the disorder increases in parallel with higher body weights.

Gallbladder Disease

Gallbladder disease and gallstones are more common if you are overweight. Your risk of disease increases as your weight increases. It is not clear how being overweight may cause gallbladder disease. Weight loss itself, particularly rapid weight loss or loss of a large amount of weight, can actually increase your chances of developing gallstones. Modest, slow weight loss of about one pound a week is less likely to cause gallstones.

Psychological and social effects

One of the most painful aspects of obesity may be the emotional suffering it causes. Our society places great emphasis on physical appearance, often equating attractiveness with slimness, especially in women. The messages intended or not, make overweight people feel unattractive. Many people assume that obese people are gluttonous, lazy, or both. However, more and more evidence contradicts this assumption. Obese people often face prejudice or discrimination at work, at school, while looking for a job, and in social situations. Feelings of rejection, shame, or depression are common.

Danger to vital organ: -

Obesity is a disorder which affect the vital organs of the human body. We shall see how the different organs function & how obesity causes disrepair to them.

Heart & Lungs: -

The heart is a wonderful organ of our body with out which there can be no human life, even during our sleep, it works unceasingly and tirelessly. It supplies blood to the whole body. The heart is helped by the lungs to purify the blood. Lungs too tirelessly go on purifying the blood to be sent back to the heart. Hence any hindrance in the heart’s functions disturbs the lungs too and so is the case the other way round. Any defect setting in to one of these organs affects the other.

Excess Fat: -

Fat is essential for our body but in limited quantities. It is contained in the tissues of our body. The excess of fat is an obstacle leading to the various disorders. Extra fat gets deposited gradually in:

• The surface layer of the heart.

• The loose tissues around the kidneys.

• The supporting tissues within the abdomen.

Heart muscles contract in order to pump blood when the fat deposits create an overload, the heat muscles can do nothing but over work in the process of supplying blood to the tissues, causing discomfort to the heart.
Blood get the nutrition from the intestines through the food we take. When the proportion of fat content exceeds the limit, the blood gets thickened and the heart muscles have to overwork in pumping the blood. In spite of the hearts constant pumping the walls of the blood vessels (arteries) get thickened. the type of food we take, therefore, has a determinant effect in gaining weight.

Cholesterol: -

Cholesterol is a normal constituent of the blood. It is found in the cell membranes and layer of the skin. It is used by the adrenal and the sex glands to form the hormones. Cholesterol has a proper and regular function to be performed in the body’s chemical process. Excess cholesterol is derived from the saturated fats we consume through our food. Fatty deposits containing large quantities of cholesterol lead to the narrowing and hardening of the arteries (blood vessels). This condition is known as arteriosclerosis. We know that the excess fat gets deposited in the surface of the heart. This is an overload on the heart. Excess fat is also a living tissue and hence requires blood supply just as any other tissue in our body. An increase in body fat necessitates a corresponding increase in the number of small blood vessels for the additional blood supply or else the heart can not but over work to meet the need.
The heart of an obese person functions under the handicap of a superfluous layer of fat. Overweight also hinders lung function, resulting in respiratory problems.

Apart from heart & lungs, the liver & kidneys are the other vital organs that get affected due to obesity.

Liver & Obesity: -

liver’s function in our body is very important for its role in the metabolism of fats. Fat is required for heat & energy in our body, the liver not only breaks the fat with the help of the digestive pancreatic juice from the pancreas but also converts the excess carbohydrates into fat for storage. When an individual takes in more calories than are required they are stored as fat, even if obtained from carbohydrates or proteins. When fat is required for energy it is withdrawn from this storage & carried to the liver to be split into substances that re far soluble.
Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas during its endocrine function. Insulin is required to burn the glucose. Liver stores excess glucose that circulates in blood. With the help of insulin, liver converts this excess glucose into a substance known as glycogen for storage until necessity arises. When sugar is required, the glycogen is converted back into glucose & fed into the blood.
An obese person has the tendency to overeat. Appetite cannot be controlled in nine out of ten obese person. If there is a history of diabetes in the family & if the person is already obese & is used to consume fats & carbohydrates in excess then the insulin produced becomes in sufficient for its conversion and the liver naturally suffers a set back too. That is one of the many reasons why persons who are obese are advises to keep away from sweets and fats as much as possible.

Kidney & Obesity: -

Kidneys are organs of elimination of waste products from the body. They are two in number & are located on either side of the lower spine. Kidney has a plentiful supply of blood vessels. It has fine filters & performs the tough job of filtering twice the amount of blood in the body every hour. It does not allow the large particles of essential proteins and red cells to pass through the filter. Most of the fluid is re-absorbed. Essential glucose, amino acids, hormones & other vitamins are returned to the blood stream after absorption. The excess of these substances is discarded through the urine. More fat tissues the body contains, the greater the task of elimination. So for a person of obese, kidney disease tend to develop easily.

Muscles & Joints Pain:-

Excess weight interferes with the skeletal muscular activities. All the weight-bearing joints are over burdened due to the excess weight. Rheumatism, gout & arthritis are common in those who are overweight. It may be argued that these disorders affect even those who are not obese & sometimes even extremely thin persons suffer from these disorders. But along with these diseases, the damage to the joints & bones is greater in obese than in non-obese persons.

Obesity also results in impotency in some cases If it occur at a very young age with activities & exercise being nil, it implies very poor health & loss of energy. This- in many cases, results in the loss of vigor & leads to impotency

Being overweight or obese increases the risk of many diseases and health conditions, including the following:

• Hypertension
• Dyslipidemia (for example, high total cholesterol or high levels of triglycerides)
• Type 2 diabetes
• Coronary heart disease
• Stroke
• Gallbladder disease
• Osteoarthritis
• Sleep apnea and respiratory problems
• Some cancers (endometrial, breast, and colon)

BENEFITS OF WEIGHT LOSS

Therefore, preventing weight gain is important not only for health and wellbeing, but also for preventing the development of overweight and obesity and therefore the development of associated health and psychosocial problems and diseases.

• Weight loss, as modest as 5 to 15% of total body weight in a person who is overweight or obese, reduces
the risk factors for some diseases, particularly heart disease.
• Weight loss can result in lower blood pressure, lower blood sugar, and improved cholesterol levels.
• A person with a Body Mass Index (BMI) above the healthy weight range* may benefit from weight loss,
especially if he or she has other health risk factors, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, diabetes, a sedentary lifestyle, and a personal and/or family history of heart disease.