How fat kills

by Rigel Celeste (Subscribe to Rigel Celeste's posts)
May 24th 2007 9:39AM

In case you needed an extra boost today to help you resist that trip to the vending machine or that jelly donut with your coffee, maybe a little reminder on why it's so important to lose weight will help? I personally prefer positive means of motivation, but unfortunately sometimes the cold hard truth is the most effective! The following are just a few of the ways being overweight kills you, slowly but surely:

Fat strains your heart in more ways than one. Blood pressure rises, cholesterol starts to clog arteries, and blood loses some of its ability to clot which increases the risk for stroke.
Fat increases male hormones, which for women can have many adverse side effects -- namely increased risk for heart disease.
Fat also increases the hormone insulin, which increases the likelihood of developing diabetes, which in turn damages and stresses your heart (among other things!).
Fat makes it harder to get a good night's sleep. The most common sleep disorder for overweight adults is sleep apnea, which strains many systems including your cardiovascular system (your heart again!) and your risk for diabetes.
Fat strains and damages joints and bones. The simple fact that your body is carrying around more weight than it was designed for will make it "wear out" faster, plus being overweight is linked with thinner and more brittle bones.

It may not be easy to lose weight, but it's definitely worth the effort for both yourself and those who love you!

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Comments (2)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

julia 7-28-2007 @ 4:23PM

I am not advocating being overweight by any means, but I fear that last statement is incorrect. The ONE thing being overweight does guard against is osteoporosis. Carrying around all the extra weight is "weight-bearing" exercise, which guards against that disease. Of course, malnutrition can cause brittle bones, and yes, obese people can be malnourished based on their dietary choices. The joints of obese individuals are just "aching" for some relief though!

tori 7-30-2007 @ 10:19PM

I'm shocked that 75% of America will be overweight by 2015! The sad thing about that is that 30% og the overweight people will be obese! Everyone just read this article and try to keep the weight off. I know it's not easy, but you don't have to do it alone. It's your choice--be healthy and live or let foolish lifestyle choices kill you.