Piling on the pounds can trigger plenty of health problems both short- and long-term, which is why health experts are constantly urging the public to watch their weight.
Within and beyond the United States, numbers of obesity are rising in both adults and children.
According to CDC, obesity affects about 93.3 million adults in the United States in 2015 to 2016. This is equivalent to 39.8 percent of the country's adult population, making it a major problem in public health.
All of these people are left vulnerable to the health dangers related to obesity, of which there are many. Recently, scientists even found that higher levels of fat actually adversely affect the morphology of the brain.
Effects Of Obesity On The Brain
New research published in the journal Radiology shows that obesity is actually closely linked to changes in the brain, particularly decreasing the volume of gray matter and changing white matter.
It's still not totally clear what the ramifications of these findings are, according to a press release from RSNA. A lower volume of gray matter suggests the loss of neurons. Meanwhile, changes in the white matter could have an effect on the transmission of signals in the brain. Since structures involved in reward circuitry are affected in certain cases, it could lead to people with obesity having even more trouble controlling their eating habits.
More Health Problems Linked To Obesity
Even beyond obesity’s adverse effects on the brain, it has a huge impact on an individual’s overall health.
For instance, obesity is widely known to be linked to a higher risk of type 2 diabetes, which is the most common type of diabetes. In the National Diabetes Statistics Report in 2017, CDC revealed that about 87.5 percent of adults with diabetes are obese or overweight.
Individuals who are obese or overweight are also often found with weight-related health problems lnked to heart disease and stroke, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar. All of these increase the risk of heart disease and stroke in people with diabetes, according to an NIH report.
There are also certain types of cancer that have been shown to be associated with fat and weight gain.
Other risks for obese or overweight individuals include sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, fatty liver disease, kidney disease, and pregnancy problems, among others.
Experts Encourage Obesity Prevention
Health experts advocate a healthy lifestyle as the best way to maintaining a healthy weight. Along with regularly checking your weight and BMI levels to assess your health levels, it’s important to eat a balanced diet daily to keep the extra pounds away.
Exercise is essential as well with Stanford Health Care recommending at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity on most days of the week.
