Whelehans pharmacy risks associated with being overweight
What does it mean to be overweight or obese?
To be overweight or obese means you have an abnormal or excessive fat accumulation in the body and this may impair health. To determine whether you are obese or overweight a simple index known as the body mass index (BMI) is calculated. BMI calculates your weight compared to your height; there are even online tools to calculate your BMI for you (simply input your weight and height).
Health risks of being overweight There are a huge amount of negative health risks related to being overweight or obese. The more body fat you have the more likely you are to develop conditions such as: -Type 2 diabetes -Heart disease -High blood pressure -Stroke -Cancers -Gallbladder disease and gallstones Type 2 diabetes Type 2 diabetes is one of the most costly and common chronic diseases of our time. It is linked with being overweight and if small lifestyle changes are made, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes may be decreased. Modest weight loss and physical activity may help prevent or delay the onset of type two diabetes in overweight individuals. Studies indicate that abdominal fat causes cells to release “pro-inflammatory” chemicals which can result in the body becoming less sensitive to the insulin it produces; this is known as insulin resistance which is the biggest trigger for type 2 diabetes. Heart disease Heart disease is used to describe a number of conditions which can affect your heart such as narrowed or blocked blood vessels. If you have heart disease then you are at an increased risk of having a heart attack, heart failure, angina (chest pain) and even sudden cardiac death. People who are overweight or obese are at a greater risk of heart disease, including hypertension (high blood pressure), increased cholesterol levels and impaired glucose tolerance (cause of diabetes which increase cardiac risk). It appears that the excess weight may cause changes to the heart meaning it needs to work harder in order to send blood to all the cells in the body. Stroke A stroke is a blood clot in the brain and is very serious and life threatening; the chances of it occurring increase as your BMI rises. Being overweight or obese can lead to a build-up of plaque in the arteries and if this ruptures it causes a blood clot to form. If the clot is near your brain, the flow of blood and oxygen is blocked and causes a stroke. Next week….I will discuss how to lose weight and reduce the likelihood of these diseases occurring. Aisling Murray has a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and offers a one to one specialist nutrition service at Whelehans Pharmacy. Call Whelehans at 04493 34591 for an appointment