OBESITY

OBESITY 

           OBESITY RELATED HEALTH PROBLEMS

 

Coronary Heart Disease

As your body mass index rises, so does your risk for coronary heart disease

Obesity also can lead to heart failure

High Blood Pressure

Your chances of having high blood pressure are greater if you are overweight or obese.

Stroke

Being overweight or obese can lead to a buildup of plaque in your arteries. Eventually, an area of plaque can rupture, causing a blood clot to form.

If the clot is close to your brain, it can block the flow of blood and oxygen to your brain and cause a stroke. The risk of having a stroke rises as BMI increases.

Type 2 Diabetes

Obese people are more prone to type 2 diabetes and related complications

Abnormal Blood Fats

If you're overweight or obese, you're at increased risk of having abnormal levels of blood fats

Abnormal levels of these blood fats are a risk factor for Chronic Heart Disease

Cancer

Being overweight or obese raises your risk for colon, breast, endometrial, and gallbladder cancers.

Osteoarthritis

Extra weight can put more pressure and wear on joints, causing pain and leads to osteoarthritis

Obesity Hypoventilation Syndrome

Obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS) is a breathing disorder that affects some obese people.

In OHS, poor breathing results in too much carbon dioxide (hypoventilation) and too little oxygen in the blood (hypoxemia).

Reproductive Problems

Obesity can cause menstrual issues and infertility in women.

Gallstones

People who are overweight or obese are at increased risk of having gallstones.

 Also, being overweight may result in an enlarged gallbladder.

Heart Burn

  

Heartburn is a sensation of burning in the chest caused by stomach acid backing up into the esophagus (food pipe)

The burning can worsen or can be brought on by lying flat or on the right side.

Causes of heartburn

The esophagus (the tube that connects your mouth to the stomach) has a tight band of muscles at the lower end (lower esophageal sphincter [LES])

that closes after the food enters the stomach and prevents the stomach contents to re-enter the esophagus.

 If this sphincter weakens or relaxes at the wrong time, stomach acid can back up into the esophagus, causing heartburn.

Foods and beverages which aggravate heartburn

·         Alcohol: Alcohol can relax the lower esophageal sphincter.

·         Coffee and orange or other acidic juices are some of the beverages that can worse or trigger heartburn.

·         Fatty foods, fried foods, and some acidic foods (oranges, grapefruits, tomatoes) as well as spicy foods can cause heartburn.

Symptoms of heartburn

• A burning feeling in the chest just behind the breastbone that occurs after eating and lasts a few minutes to several hours.
• Chest pain, especially after bending over, lying down, or eating.
• Burning in the throat -- or hot, sour, acidic or salty-tasting fluid at the back of the throat.
• Difficulty swallowing.
• Feeling of food "sticking" in the middle of the chest or throat.
• Heartburn may cause chronic cough, sore throat, or chronic hoarseness.

Lifestyle changes

There are several ways to treat and avoid heartburn with lifestyle changes.

·         Weight loss/keeping ideal weight: Excess weight increases the pressure on the stomach, increasing the chance of acid reflux into the esophagus.

·         Quit smoking: Smoking interferes with the proper functioning of the lower esophageal sphincter.

·         Food control: Avoid foods that trigger. Consider keeping a food journal to alert you to foods that make your heartburn worse. Decrease the amount of food you eat.

·         Elevate the head of the bed: If you are experiencing heartburn at night, elevating the head of the bed will decrease reflux.