Men More Likely to Die from Obesity, Study Finds
Obesity is a huge medical concern in the United States. With approximately one-third of the US population struggling with obesity, chances are this is a concern that you’ve heard about before. Unfortunately, obesity is all too often treated like an aesthetic problem. TV marketing programs highlight the benefit of losing weight so that you can fit into smaller clothes and look a certain way, but anyone who struggles with obesity knows that the real issues of living with excess body weight go far beyond pant size.
Obesity increases your risk for developing chronic health problems. Statistically, obesity is now the number two cause of preventable death in the United States, second only to cigarette smoking. But sugary drinks and fried foods are not regulated the same way that tobacco products are. You have to be of a certain age to buy tobacco, but anyone who can speak and hold cash can buy an ice cream cone. And seeing as obesity is so common, there are many people who continue eating unhealthily and gaining weight long-after they first develop any weight issues. This trend has many health experts worried that obesity is only going to become more of a health problem in the future, and could even be on its way to being the most common cause of preventable death in the US, if not globally.
There is a reason that obesity is such a threat to your overall health. Excess weight puts a severe burden on the body, opening the door to a countless array of chronic health problems like:
- Heart disease
- Type-2 diabetes
- Hypertension
- Certain cancers
- Sleep disorders
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease
- Gallbladder disease
Men who struggle with obesity are at about a 10 percent increased chance of premature death than are men who are of a normal weight. This data is consistent across research from around the world, with almost 200 studies finding similar results. The risk of early death rises for women who struggle with obesity as well, but not nearly as significantly, only about five percent.
One reason men are more likely to die from obesity related causes may come down to the fact that men are less likely to attempt to do something about their weight, based purely on societal pressure that encourages women to participate in life-changing weight loss programs like weight loss surgery. It doesn’t matter if you are a man or a woman, the chronic diseases that obesity increases your risk for are serious and could be deadly.
The longer you struggle with obesity, the more likely you are to experience health complications. Weight loss surgery can help prevent the onset of these diseases and can even reverse the effects of disease in some situations. Don’t give in to obesity. Talk to your weight loss doctor for more information about how you can lose weight and improve your health.