We talk a lot about fat – how to lose fat, how fast we can do that, where the fat goes? So we all have fat, and it’s good to have some fat. But I’m sure you’ve heard that excessive fat is unhealthy, I don’t think anyone is arguing the opposite. Today we are going to talk about how fats affect the body?
So, how unhealthy is it to have excessive fat?
Let’s talk about the price we pay for having excessive fat in our body.
What is considered overweight?
According to the World Health Organization, Overweight is abnormal or excessive accumulation of fat inside the body. How do you know whether you are overweight or not? The most accurate way of figuring that out is the DEXA scan. But it is not available everywhere and is quite expensive.
How to Calculate Body Mass Index?
So the simplest way to understand whether you are overweight is to calculate your body mass index or BMI.To measure BMI, Calculate your body fat percentage based on your height and weight. Divide the total of your weight in kilograms by your height in meters.
If the result is between 18.5-24.9, then congratulations! Your weight is within the normal range. If your BMI is above 25, then you are in the overweight range. Or if your BMI is above 30, then sorry to break it to you, but you is technically obese. Obesity is basically a more severe form of being overweight. Ok, one point here – BMI is not the most accurate method of calculating body fat. It neglects to consider body type, muscle mass, or a variety of other factors, but it’s a good estimate and quite widely used due to its simplicity.
Is obesity a common thing?
Is obesity a common thing? You better believe me. Very common. In the United States, about 70% of adults are either overweight or obese. On a worldwide scale, 1.9 billion adults over the age of 18 are overweight!
It’s quite depressing.
So, what does it mean for your bodily operations to have that extra fat? Several things
1. Your body needs to store that fat somewhere within the body. An imbalanced diet is responsible for obesity. Some health issues occur due to an imbalanced diet.
2. It will carry this fat everywhere, and then your body will have to manage all of the hormones that the fat produces. So, let’s talk about each of these points!
The most convenient place to store fat in our bodies is right under the skin. This type of fat is called “subcutaneous fat”. Research shows that on average about 90% of the body fat is subcutaneous fat. The health problems with extra fat right under the skin include potential skin infections, skin sagging, and many other skin-related diseases. The rest of the fat is being stored in the abdominal cavity; this fat is called the “visceral fat”. One of the issues with visceral fat from a storage perspective is that it takes up space in the abdominal cavity and limits the motion of the lungs.
Obesity Health risks
Now let’s talk about how fats affect the body? You don’t want fat taking priority over your lungs, right? Health risks that increase with age.
Therefore, carrying extra weight places an extra burden on your skeletal and muscular systems, particularly your joints. The most commonly injured joints in this situation are the hands, knees, hips, and spine. Those extra pounds make your joints more prone to inflammation that can result in “osteoarthritis”, a degenerative joint disease or “wear and tear” arthritis. Painful joints can make even simple walking difficult, surely limiting our daily activities. An extra pound in body weight gives around 4 pounds of extra pressure on your poor little knees! The next problem with excessive fat in the body is that fat accumulates on the walls of blood vessels in the form of cholesterol; it’s called “atherosclerosis”. This will make blood vessels narrower and result in higher blood pressure or “hypertension.” None of those things are good!
And, in extreme cases, hypertension can result in heart failure and stroke. Your heart’s coronary vessels will also be constricted by atherosclerosis, limiting the blood supply to the heart muscles. If your heart muscles are not getting enough oxygen, they will die, causing a heart attack. I probably shouldn’t have to say this, but killing parts of your heart is very bad!
Ischemic heart disease
Ischemic heart disease, often known as “cardiovascular disease,” is the leading cause of death around the globe. Ultimately, adipose tissue is not widely believed to be an inactive fat-storing tissue. It regulates and controls several hormones, including those that regulate and control nutritional intake (leptin, estrogen, and angiotensin), sugar levels, and mediators of the inflammatory process. Leptin, a hormone primarily produced by fat cells, causes your kidneys to expel less water than usual, adding to your high blood pressure. Excess estrogen in the human body has been linked to a higher risk of cancer.
Most common cancer
The most common cancers related to being overweight or obese are breast, colorectal, lung, liver, and bladder cancers. Visceral fat that builds up inside your liver can cause inflammation, known as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. It is plain to see that excessive amounts of fat damage the body in a big way since, we need to store it, carry it everywhere we go, and manage the hormones it produces. Scientists estimate that severely obese people have a 6-12 times higher death rate due to overall causes than normal people. 6-12 times, that’s extreme! The point is that being overweight or obese is bad news for your body. So, stay strong, stay healthy, and maintain a healthy weight, it will pay off in the long run.
