Diseases and Disabilities, Obesity Can Cause

Diseases and Disabilities, Obesity Can Cause

It is unfortunate that obesity leads to many disabilities in one's later life. Some of these disabilities are crippling in nature and others, degenerative.

Diabetes :- Onset of diabetes in adulthood is more common solely among obese persons. Even though heredity is the deciding factor in diabetes, chances are remote if the person takes care not to gain weight as he grows. There are persons with normal weight who are not diabetic though there is a family history of diabetes. Some among such individuals believe strongly that they will inherit the disorder one day or other in their middle age. This belief itself leads them to behave as some diabetics would and they slowly gain weight.

Incorrect way of eating habits in some diabetics

Normally, a diabetic individual feels hungry and eats at short intervals. It is necessary for him to eat small frequent meals rather large ones at long intervals; his family doctor advises him so too. You ask him or others like him about it and they invariably come up with an explanation as to how they are expected to follow their family doctor's instructions lest they should suffer

from low sugar and fainting bouts. They have certainly misunderstood this recommendation. While eating frequently, they fail to regulate or reduce the quantity and quality of food eaten. They satisfy their hunger pangs by stuffing themselves with readily available commercial food, rich in calories but poor in nutrition. At times they also overeat to keep hunger at bay. This type of indiscretion increases the bulk of their body. This itself is harmful.

There should be a rational and perceptible solution for the ignorance about what, when and how a diabetic should eat. This is certainly, without doubt, very easy if one wishes to learn and follow it.

Heart attack : - Obesity invites a number of heart diseases and possibilities of an attack even at a very young age. It is a disturbing fact that heart attacks and deaths occur even at the age of thirty and below, caused by obesity due to over nourishment and high living style. When there is a large amount of fat around the chest, the lungs have less room to expand. Blood oxygenation is impaired. This also makes the heart work harder due to which breathing becomes laborious.

Arthritis :- The structure of the human body is designed to be active in order to stay fit and be free from disabilities. Bulk in the body disallows brisk activity and exercise. Exercise is essential for the production of calcium and to prevent its depletion in the bones. If there is no activity, the amount of calcium in and around the bones and joints will reduce, causing stiffness of the joints. When the weight bearing joints are over-burdened due to obesity, they tend to cause swellings and rigidity of the limbs. The pain and stiffness confines the individual to bed discouraging even the minimum of essential movements. The damage occurs slowly and progressively when degeneration of the joints takes place.

Stroke :- An obese person also risks strokes when he happens to fall, especially if he has crossed the age of forty. During a fall the blood supply to the brain is deprived after the initial rush of the blood. The sudden rushing and draining out of the blood damage ~e arteries supplying blood to the tissues and cells of the brain. This, in turn, causes rupture and seepage of blood, resulting in cerebral haemorrhage. The function of the nerves gets obstructed. This results in paralysis of the limbs. At such times, even the pressure of the blood pumped by the heart suddenly rises. The impact of the raised blood pressure sometimes results in heart attacks too.

Fracture :- Another drawback faced by the obese persons, concerns their accidental falls. A lean person, when he falls down, does not get hurt as badly as an obese person does. He runs the risk of breaking his already over-burdened weight bearing joints and spine. Plaster casts, tractions and bed rest only discourage activities of the limbs and the weight keeps on increasing along with the rigidity of the limbs.

Piles :- People who are overweight suffer from one more irksome problem - piles. Constipation is a favourable condition to cause piles among overweight persons. This is more so with those overweight-persons who use the Western type of toilets instead of in the squatting position. Sitting for long periods increases piles. And an obese person is always inclined to sit for long hours.

Snoring - A dangerous nuisance

Obese persons company, many a time, is detested for a variety of reasons on various occasion, especially when it comes to sleeping in the same room with a snorer. This problem is found to be more prevalent in men who start developing a paunch during their middle age. There may be other causes for snoring like some impairment or obstruction in the air passages, but by and large snorers do have a paunch and they do have a tendency to become obese. Their snoring is not only a hindrance restricted to their roommates or spouses but a dangerous health hazard to themselves too.