The International Obesity Task Force writes that being overweight or obese increases the risk of a number of health conditions. These include the following:
- High blood pressure
- Osteoarthritis
- High total cholesterol or high levels of triglycerides
- Type 2 diabetes
- Coronary heart disease
- Stroke
- Gallbladder disease
- Sleep apnea and respiratory problems
- Breast and colon cancer
None of these is much fun. My own blood pressure is mildly elevated – around 135/90. My wife Linda had a scare with a micro-cluster of calcifications in her breast, picked up at a routine mammogram. She was treated at the Avon Clinic at Massachusetts General Hospital, and cannot speak highly enough of the wonderful physicians and nursing professionals at Mass General.
Type 2 diabetes is on the rise. At a personal level, my brother-in-law, in Australia, was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes some years ago. He is over 300 pounds and around 5″ 10″. This has dramatically affected what he eats – no more huge plates of meat and mashed potatoes – and what he drinks: a glass of wine, and no beer.
My friend and colleague David Tall is grossly overweight, mainly because he has been on steroids for years to treat sarcoidosis. He developed both type 2 diabetes and sleep apnea several years ago.
The Encyclopedia of Surgery reports that 300,000 people die in the United States each year from weight-related causes. This is more than 8 times a capacity crowd at Fenway Park, home of the Red Sox. That’s a lot of people to die, probably unnecessarily in most cases.
Take care out there folks, and eat responsibly!
