Mayo Clinic News Network – Obesity is a complex health issue that affects people of all ages worldwide. It greatly increases the risk of serious diseases like diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke and certain types of cancer.
Health consequences can range from a higher risk of early death to long-term conditions that lower your quality of life. And it is not just the physical toll — the stigma around obesity can affect mental health.
Dr. Meera Shah, a Mayo Clinic endocrinologist who specializes in treating people with obesity, says understanding and addressing these interconnected health issues is crucial for improving patient outcomes.
“Our primary care colleagues spend a lot of time with their patients dealing with their blood pressure, and their cholesterol and their arthritis, sleep apnea, and urinary incontinence and diabetes,” says Dr. Shah.
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She says it’s important to step back to look at what these health issues have in common.
“What kind of unites all of those things? It’s obesity,” she says.
What is obesity?
“There are many ways of defining obesity, but ultimately, it’s a condition of excess adiposity – too many fat cells,” explains Dr. Shah.
And carrying extra weight increases your risk of certain hormonal cancers such as breast and endometrial cancer.
“It is also a risk factor for certain GI cancers, colon cancer, pancreatic cancer — numerous cancers. And we don’t always know why but the link between obesity and cancers is clear,” Dr. Shah says.
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As obesity rates increase, the reasons are not always clear-cut.
The environment that we live in, the types of work that we do, the types of foods that we’re exposed to, our cultural and dietary preferences,” she says.
Dr. Shah encourages talking with your healthcare team about your options if you are concerned about your weight.