Being overweight, having obesity or morbid obesity is associated with increased cancer risk and other serious health risks. These include high blood pressure, sleep apnea, diabetes, stroke, asthma and other excess weight-related conditions that can lead to premature death. Read on…
Studies have shown that excess weight can lead to increased risk for cancer, diabetes, stroke and other diseases which can lead to premature death.
Overweight, Obesity and Morbid Obesity Definition Is Based On Body Mass Index
Body Mass Index (BMI) is a widely used method for estimating body fat. BMI is calculated by dividing the person’s weight by the square of his or her height. It is used to define whether a person is overweight, obese or morbidly obese.
- An adult with BMI of 25 or higher is considered overweight.
- An adult with BMI of 30 or higher is considered obese.
- An adult with BMI of 35 or higher is considered morbidly obese.
For morbidly obese individuals, having a Body Mass Index (BMI) of over 35 corresponds to being 100 pounds over your ideal body weight.
Being Overweight, Obese or Morbidly Obese Increases Risk for Cancer and Other Diseases That Can Lead to Premature Death
If you’re overweight, obese or morbidly obese, you’re at risk for many diseases that can shorten your life. These include high blood pressure, sleep apnea, cancer, diabetes, stroke, asthma and other excess weight-related conditions.
According to the National Cancer Institute, excess weight is linked to the following cancers:
- Meningioma cancer (cancer in the tissues covering the brain and spinal cord)
- Multiple myeloma (cancer of blood cells)
- Upper stomach cancer
- Liver cancer
- ovarian cancer
- Breast cancer
- Colorectal (colon and rectal) cancers
- Uterine cancer
- Kidney cancer
- Head and neck cancers
- Esophageal cancer
- Pancreatic cancer
- Endometrium or uterine cancer
- Prostate cancer
- Gallbladder cancer
- Thyroid cancer
Overweight, Obesity and Morbid Obesity: Strategies for Managing Excess Weight
For overweight individuals, lasting weight control and increasing physical activity can decrease risk for cancer as well as other diseases.
Treatment options for obese and morbidly obese individuals usually include dieting, fasting, liquid diets and other very low calorie diets as well as FDA-approved drugs to help patients lose weight. There are obesity management therapies that involve a combination of all of those options together.
Morbidly obese patients are usually not considered for weight loss surgery until after they have already tried and failed other medical weight loss options.
The two predominant surgical options for morbidly obese patients include laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery and laparoscopic gastric banding.
* Laparoscopic gastric banding involves placement of a silicon device around the upper part of the stomach. This band creates a small gastric pouch that helps the patient eat less.
* Laparoscopic gastric bypass involves stapling the stomach tissues to create a small gastric pouch. This procedure also involves division and re-routing of the small intestine to drain both the newly-created gastric pouch and the excluded part of the stomach.
If you’re morbidly obese, it’s important to discuss your medical and surgical options for with your physician in order to understand the risks before you make any decisions.
Studies have shown that excess weight can lead to increased risk for cancer, diabetes, stroke and other diseases which can lead to premature death.
If you are morbidly obese, you are at risk for dying early unless you can achieve significant weight loss.
Despite the risks associated with weight loss surgery, it can be a reasonable option compared to excess weight-related health risks and the risk of dying early.