Excess weight is a serious health problem. Along with the extra pound, you can get exposed to health issues like heart disease, diabetes, and even cancer. Excess weight negatively affects your confidence and lowers self-esteem. By dropping a significant number of pounds, you can get plenty of health benefits, especially if you are extremely overweight.
Keep reading to discover the positive health changes that you can achieve by losing 50 extra pounds.
1. Improved memory
By being overweight you increase your risk of memory problems. It can be hard for you to remember faces, names, and other important information. Obesity triggers vascular dementia and decreases blood supply to the brain, contributing to dementia. Fortunately, obesity-related memory problems are reversible. By losing excess weight you can boost brain health and make the process of storing and re-collecting new information more efficient.
2. Proper blood pressure
Excess body weight is a major risk factor for high blood pressure. High blood pressure makes you more prone to heart issues like a heart attack. A heart attack is the leading cause of premature deaths in the United States and around the world. By losing extra pounds, you can lower your blood pressure and decrease the risk of heart problems.
3. Better quality of sleep
Obesity increases your risk of sleep issues like sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a condition in which you suddenly stop breathing during a night’s sleep. Breathing problems don’t allow you to reach the deep phase of sleep. This can cause chronic fatigue and even contribute to depression. Losing excess weight can help you cure sleep apnea and improve sleep quality.
4. Decreased risk of joint issues
Excess weight puts additional stress on your joints. At the higher risk of joint issues are weight-bearing joints like the knees and feet. This can cause foot and knee pain, swelling, and discomfort. Excess weight can increase inflammation within the body raising your risk of rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory disorders. By losing weight you can remove pressure from your knees and lower body inflammation.
5. Improved eye health
Obesity can take a toll on the health of your eyes. Excess weight is linked to elevated pressure inside the eyes known as intraocular pressure. This can contribute to eye issues like glaucoma, which is characterized by high pressure inside the eye. Obese people are at a higher risk of diabetic retinopathy and age-related cataract. By losing excess weight you can lower intraocular pressure and decrease the risk of blindness.
6. Improved mood
Obesity is associated with mental problems like sadness, anxiety, and depression. People with excess weight are at higher risk of depression. Excess pounds take a toll on many aspects of your life. Negative health changes that obesity causes can make you feel stressed and hopeless all the time. By losing extra pounds, exercising more, and eating better you can enhance your appearance and improve your mood.
7. Decreased cancer risk
High body fat is associated with a higher risk of developing different types of cancer. Obese women have a 30% greater risk of breast cancer. Fat tissues produce higher amounts of estrogen. High estrogen levels make you more prone to developing breast, ovarian and other types of cancer.
Another way obesity increases your risk of cancer is chronic inflammation. Obesity causes inflammation within the body. This raises your chances to develop cancer. By lowering body mass and fat you can reduce inflammation and decrease the risk of cancer.
The bottom line
Obesity is a major contributing factor to many serious health issues. Not everyone who is obese has the problems mentioned above but obesity raises the risk of these conditions. Losing excess weight is key to ensure overall health and increase the quality of your life.
