Co-Morbidities & Health Risks of Obesity

Both of these women had weight loss surgery at the Bariatric Institute of Wisconsin. Prior to surgery, both were more than 100 pounds overweight. Within a year after surgery, each had lost more than 100 pounds and their other health problems including asthma and high blood pressure were gone.

The Wisconsin obesity statistics are alarming. 10% of Wisconsin students in grades 9-12 are obese. 59% of Wisconsin adults are overweight or obese. 22% of Wisconsin adults report getting no physical activity. 78% of Wisconsin adults report eating less than five servings of fruits or vegetables each day.

If you have been diagnosed as morbidly obese you should know it isn't just about appearance. It is also a serious health concern. Several studies confirm that morbid obesity, (the clinical definition of morbid obesity is used if a patient is more than 100 pounds overweight, or has a BMI greater than 40), link to BMI Chart, is a disease, not a disorder of will power, as sometimes implied.

The physiological, biochemical biochemical and genetic evidence is overwhelming that morbid obesity is a complex disorder. You may have this disorder because of several reasons including heredity, cultural, socioeconomic and/or psychological factors.

Being overweight increases health and wellness risks, including potentially fatal diseases, such as:

• high blood pressure
• diabetes
• stroke
• arthritis
• respiratory difficulties
• low back pain
• gout
• bladder control problems
• high cholesterol
• heart disease
• gall bladder disease
• sleep apnea
• certain cancers
• severe heartburn
• menstrual irregularities/infertility
• psychological disorders

Obesity is the second leading cause of preventable death in the United States.

A 12 year follow-up study of 336,442 men and 419,060 women found that the mortality rates for men who weighed 50% more than they should increased approximately 200%. In the same weight group, the mortality was increased 500% for diabetics and 400% for those with digestive tract disease.

Women included in this study who weighed more than 50% of their recommended weight also had an increased mortality rate of 200%. Female diabetics in the study had an increased mortality risk of 800%, and those women with digestive tract disease were 300% more likely to die from it than women of normal weight.

Clearly overweight people of both sexes tend to die sooner than their leaner contemporaries. According to the American Obesity Association, obese individuals have a 50% to 100% increased risk of death compared to individuals of normal weight, with 300,000 to 587,000 deaths associated with obesity each year. Link to American Obesity Association.

Obesity in America is increasing at an unprecedented rate causing health professionals to label obesity a national epidemic. Spurred by sedentary lifestyles and unhealthy diets, approximately 60% of American adults are overweight (those with a BMI of more than 25), 22% are obese, registering a BMI of more than 30, and 6% are morbidly obese having a BMI of more than 40. An astounding 15% of 6 to 19 year olds are overweight and this number has tripled during the past two decades. Obesity costs America more than $117 billion per year.