It is unhealthy if you have too little
or too much body fat because obesity can lead to health
risks:
Too Little Body fat:
- To little body fat can affect normal healthy functioning
in both men and women.
- It can lead to reproductive problems in women like
interruption in the menstrual cycle.
Too Much Body Fat:
- Too much body fat increases the risk of many diseases,
including type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke,
heart disease, and certain cancers.
- Abdominal fat increases the risk of heart disease,
high blood pressure, and diabetes. A waist circumference
of 40 inches or more in men and 35 inches or more
in woman is associated with significantly increased
disease risk.
- Clinical studies have found a relationship between
excess body fat and the incidence of cancer. By itself,
body fat is a storage place for carcinogens (cancer-causing
chemicals) in both men and women. In women, excess
body fat has been linked to a higher rate of breast
and uterine cancer and in men, it is linked to colon
and prostate cancer.
- There is a delicate balance between blood sugar,
body fat, and the hormone insulin. Excess blood sugar
is stored in the liver and other vital organs. But
when the organs are "full," the excess blood
sugar is converted to fat. As fat cells themselves
become full, they tend to take in less blood sugar.
In some obese people, the pancreas produces more and
more insulin, which the body can't use, to regulate
blood sugar levels, and the whole system becomes overwhelmed.
This poor regulation of blood sugar and insulin results
in diabetes, which can lead to heart disease, kidney
failure, blindness, amputation, and death.
- Excess body fat is also linked to gall bladder disease,
gastro-intestinal disease, sexual dysfunction, osteoarthritis,
and stroke.
- Obese people also tend to have high cholesterol
levels, making them more prone to arteriosclerosis,
a narrowing of the arteries by deposits of plaque.
This becomes life-threatening when blood vessels become
so narrow or blocked that vital organs like the brain,
heart or kidneys are deprived of blood. Additionally,
the narrowing of the blood vessels forces the heart
to pump harder, and blood pressure rises. High blood
pressure itself poses several health risks,
including heart attack, kidney failure, and stroke.
About 25 percent of all heart and blood vessel problems
are associated with obesity.
- It can also lead to arthritis in hips or knees.
- Diseases associated with an excess of body fat worsen
as the amount of body fat increases.
Reducing Body Fat Reduces Disease Risk
By reducing body fat percentage, you can reduce
the risk of disease. Studies show that an active lifestyle
and its help in reducing body fat are associated with
a reduced risk for some types of cancers: prostate for
men, breast and uterine cancers for women.
In addition, regular physical activity and a low-fat
diet are successful in treating non-insulin dependent
diabetes (NIDDM); for some patients, it reduces or eliminates
the need for insulin substitutes. In general, regularly
active adults have a lower risk of developing NIDDM.
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