How Obesity Affects Health

Obesity-related health conditions, whether alone or in combination, can significantly reduce your life expectancy. At Newton Wellesley Hospital’s Center for Weight Loss Surgery, we know that some of the common conditions resulting from obesity include:

• Depression – Seriously overweight people face constant challenges to their emotions – repeated failure with dieting, disapproval from family and friends, and sneers and remarks from strangers. They often experience discrimination at work, cannot fit comfortably in theatre seats, or ride comfortably in a bus or plane.
• Heartburn/GERD (gastroesophageal reflux) – Acid belongs in the stomach and rarely causes any problem when it stays there. When acid escapes your the esophagus through a weak or overloaded valve at the top of your stomach, the result is called gastroesophageal reflux, or GERD. “Heartburn” (acid indigestion) is a common symptom. Up to 15 percent of people with even mild symptoms of heartburn will develop a condition called Barrett's esophagus, a premalignant change in the lining membrane of the esophagus that can lead to esophageal cancer.
• High blood pressure/heart disease – Excess body weight strains the ability of your heart to function properly. The resulting hypertension (high blood pressure) can result in strokes, as well as cause significant heart and kidney damage.
• Infertility – Obesity in men and women can result in difficulty, or even inability, to have children.
• Menstrual irregularities – Morbidly obese women often experience disruptions of their menstrual cycle, including abnormal menstrual flow and increased pain associated with their periods.
• Osteoarthritis of weight-bearing joints – The additional weight placed on your joints, particularly knees and hips, results in wear and tear, along with pain caused by inflammation. Your bones and back muscles are constantly strained, resulting in disk problems, pain, and decreased mobility.
• Sleep apnea/breathing problems – Excess weight in your tongue and neck can obstruct the air passage. Because the obstruction is increased when sleeping on your back, you may find yourself waking frequently to reposition yourself. This loss of sleep often results in daytime drowsiness and headaches.
• Type 2 diabetes – Obese individuals develop a resistance to insulin, which regulates blood sugar levels. Over time, the resulting high blood sugar can cause serious damage to the body.
• Urinary stress incontinence – A large, heavy abdomen and relaxation of the pelvic muscles in women, especially associated with the effects of childbirth, may cause the valve on your urinary bladder to be weakened. This can lead to urine leakage when coughing, sneezing, or laughing.