Losing Weight Lowers Your Risk of These Common Health Conditions

Being out-of-shape, overweight or obese can impact everything from your ability to enjoy everyday activities to your self-confidence. It can also increase your risk of many ailments. That's why losing weight, and keeping the weight off, is so important.

Here, at No Mercy Sports Medicine, Dr. Moises Irizarry-Roman and our highly trained team provide thorough state-of-the-art care. We treat everything from sports and musculoskeletal injuries to addressing weight management concerns.

Weight loss

For most people, weight loss is more complicated than eating less and working out more. Certain conditions like hormonal imbalances, thyroid disorders, and undiagnosed diabetes can make shedding pounds difficult. 

A personalized weight management plan can help by encouraging lifestyle changes to not just lose the weight but keep it off. Unlike fad diets, this type of weight loss can involve everything from counseling, use of medical-grade dietary supplements, and hormone replacement therapy. Weigh-ins, coaching, and periodic lab testing play important roles as well.

Health benefits of weight loss

Maintaining a healthy weight can reduce your risk of many health issues. Some examples include:

1. Type 2 diabetes. This chronic disease occurs when blood sugar levels are higher than normal which increases your risk of heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, and more. More than 85% of people with diabetes are overweight or obese.
2. High blood pressure. Though typically lacking in symptoms, high blood pressure is still dangerous and can lead to issues like heart disease, stroke, and kidney failure. It can be more common in larger people due to the extra effort the heart must undergo to pump the blood to all the cells. Damage to the kidneys from excess fat may also be a contributing factor since the kidneys assist in the regulation of blood pressure.
3. Heart disease and stroke. Excess weight can lead to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar which increases the risk for suffering from a heart attack, heart failure, sudden cardiac death, chest pain, an abnormal heart rhythm, and stroke.
4. Cancer. Cancers of the breast (after menopause), colon, rectum, kidney, gallbladder, and the lining of the uterus (endometrium) are all more common in people who have gained weight. Experts are still studying the reason behind it but speculate it could be due to hormones released by fat cells and/or diet or exercise habits that contribute to weight gain and the risk of cancer.
5. Sleep apnea. Extra fat around the neck can make the airway smaller and lead to more trouble breathing. This can result in snoring and/or the stopping of breathing altogether for short stints of time. It can also cause inflammation which contributes to sleep apnea.
6. Osteoarthritis. Extra weight can damage the joints and cartilage resulting in osteoarthritis. It can also cause inflammation that could impact the joints.
7. Other ailments. Being overweight or obese can also lead to fatty liver disease, kidney disease, and pregnancy issues. 

Are you overweight? Are looking to reduce your chance of serious illness? Visit us online here to make an appointment with Dr. Irizarry-Roman for a weight management consultation.