Many people can view body weight purely in terms of aesthetics – how having more body fat would affect their physical appearance. However, obesity is a prevalent health concern, with an estimate of around 25% of adults in the UK currently living with obesity. 

Having an increased body weight is associated with higher risk factors of developing certain health conditions that would require some form of treatment. Obesity can also contribute to a lower self-esteem and can have a huge impact on your mental wellbeing. We are going to have a closer look into these conditions and see how having increased body weight can lead to them.

 

What Can Obesity Lead to?

Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is a common long-term condition in which your blood sugar levels are too high. Some of the symptoms include peeing more often than normal, feeling more thirsty and tiredness. If left uncontrolled, it can lead to health risks, including severe problems in your eyes, feet, heart and nerves.

People with obesity are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes. To understand why obesity can lead to type 2 diabetes, we need to discuss how your body normally controls blood sugar levels. In the blood, there is a hormone called insulin. Insulin helps your body to use the sugar in the blood as an energy source by moving glucose from the blood into the cells. 

However, having increased fat can lead to an inflammatory response in the body which then makes the cells around the body less sensitive to insulin. This is called insulin resistance which is a classic feature of type 2 diabetes. By reducing your weight through a healthy diet and increased physical exercise, you can improve insulin sensitivity and lower your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

 

Coronary Heart Disease

Coronary heart disease, also known as ischaemic heart disease, is a condition in which a build up of fatty substances is formed in the blood vessels that supply your heart (also known as the coronary arteries). 

So, having a higher body weight and therefore increased fat, particularly around your waist, can lead to fatty deposits building up within your arteries. This is known as atherosclerosis. If your coronary arteries get completely blocked by fat, then this can lead to a heart attack which can be fatal. Atherosclerosis is also linked to other conditions, some of which are weight-related such as type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. 

Similar to type 2 diabetes, to help manage coronary heart disease, lifestyle changes will have to be made like increasing exercise and eating healthier. However, your doctor might also decide to prescribe medications to help reduce your risk of cardiac arrest.

 

Stroke

A stroke is a life-threatening emergency in which the blood flow to a part of your brain has been blocked. This can lead to weakness in the face and arms and slurring of speech. Strokes need to be treated as soon as possible to help prevent any permanent damage to the brain.

Conditions such as having a high blood pressure and diabetes can increase your risk of having a stroke. And these conditions can be caused by obesity. Similar to heart disease, being obese increases fatty deposits in your vessels. This then can lead to the blood vessels becoming narrowed and blocked. If the vessel that has become blocked is the one supplying part of your brain, this will then lead to a stroke.

Again, trying to reduce your weight through different methods, such as changing lifestyle or even using weight loss injections, will help reduce your risk of developing high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes and therefore will help to reduce your risk of having a stroke. 

 

Depression

Depression affects every person in a different way and can cause a range of varying symptoms. You might feel tearful, irritable or lack motivation, or even feel physical symptoms such as a loss of appetite, disturbed sleep and unexplained aches and pains. It is important to highlight that depression is much more than just feeling sad for a couple of days. Depression usually occurs over a longer period of a few weeks or months. 

The relationship between obesity and depression is a complex one, and it is not yet fully understood. It is also difficult to distinguish what condition causes the other; both conditions seem to contribute to each other, making it difficult to separate the two.

A factor that might play a part is body image. People may feel embarrassed or judged for how they look due to society’s negative perception of obesity. This, then, may lead to a lower self-esteem, leading to social isolation and therefore, this can then have a huge impact on mental health. 

It is important to seek help from a healthcare professional if you think that you might be depressed. It can seem like a daunting task to do so, but it is the crucial first step towards feeling better and improving your mental health.

Prescription weight loss treatments available today

Losing weight can help you to beat obesity and reduce your risk of developing these health conditions. You can do this by implementing a healthy, well-balanced diet and by increasing how much physical activity that you do. If changing your lifestyle is not enough to achieve the desired results,  there are several different weight loss injections available that can aid your weight loss journey towards better health.