Читать книгу Steve Miller's Slimming Secrets - Steve Miller - Страница 27

Now I don’t have to tell many of you that being too fat also brings the likelihood of illness (and most probably, an early death), but for many this is not a concern for today. However, you may not have sat down and really thought about each of the potential health consequences of doing nothing about your weight. If health is your motivator, it’s time to consider the impact of being overweight.

You may have recently seen in the press that Type 2 diabetes is a disease in which blood sugar levels are above normal. Worryingly, high blood sugar is a major cause of coronary heart disease, kidney disease, stroke, amputation and blindness. Type 2 diabetes is often associated with obesity and a significant proportion of people with this condition are overweight. It’s thought that being overweight causes cells in the body to change, making them resistant to the hormone insulin. Insulin carries sugar from blood to the cells, where it is used for energy. When a person is insulin resistant, blood sugar cannot be taken up by the cells, resulting in high blood sugar. You can definitely reduce your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by losing weight and increasing the amount of exercise you do.

If you already have Type 2 diabetes, losing weight and becoming more physically active can help you control your blood sugar levels and prevent or delay complications. Losing weight and exercising more may also allow you to reduce the amount of diabetes medication you take. You can reverse the condition and be very proud that you have done it!

Among those who are too fat, coronary heart disease and strokes are frequent killers. Coronary heart disease means the heart and circulation of blood do not function normally. Usually, the arteries have become hardened and narrowed. If you have coronary heart disease, you may suffer a heart attack, congestive heart failure, sudden cardiac death, angina or abnormal heart rhythm. In a heart attack, the flow of blood and oxygen to the heart is disrupted, damaging portions of the heart muscle. During a stroke, blood and oxygen do not flow normally to the brain, which can cause paralysis or even death. People who are overweight are more likely to develop high blood pressure, hard fats in the blood and high levels of bad cholesterol. These are all increased risk factors for heart disease and a stroke. The good news is that losing 5–10 per cent of your weight can lower the chances of you developing coronary heart disease or having a stroke. Weight loss can also reduce blood pressure and cholesterol levels, as well as improving your heart function and blood flow.

One of the health risks that often we don’t want to mention but you really must be aware of if you are overweight is cancer. It occurs when cells in one part of the body, such as the colon, grow abnormally or out of control. Sometimes the cancerous cells spread to other parts of the body, such as the liver, the lungs or the brain, too. Being overweight can increase your risk of developing several types of cancer, including cancer of the colon, oesophagus and kidney. Gaining weight during adult life increases the risk of getting several of these cancers, even if the weight gain does not result in you being overweight or obese. Eating better and improving your physical activity may prevent a rise in the risk of cancer.

Sleep apnoea is a disorder that happens when a person stops breathing for short periods during the night. It is much more common in those who are fat. The reason for this is that the person who is overweight may have more fat around his or her neck, which makes the airway smaller. This smaller airway can make breathing difficult and trigger very loud snoring, or cause that person to stop breathing altogether. Weight loss will normally improve sleep apnoea because it decreases the size of the neck.

Osteoarthritis is a joint disorder that causes the joint bone and cartilage to wear away. It commonly affects the joints in the knees, hips and lower back and this can cause a lot of pain. Being overweight may place extra pressure on the joints and cartilage causing them to wear away prematurely. Research indicates that losing at least 5 per cent of your body weight may decrease stress on the knees, hips and lower back.

Gallbladder disease includes gallstones and inflammation or infection of the gallbladder. Gallstones are mostly made up of cholesterol and can cause lots of abdominal pain, especially after eating fatty foods. People who are overweight have a higher risk of developing a gallbladder disease because they may produce more cholesterol, which is the root cause of gallstones. Gradual weight loss of up to 1kg (2lb) a week may lower your risk of developing gallstones.

Fat infiltration in the liver can cause liver disease and this comes about when fat builds up in the liver cells, so causing inflammation and long-term damage to the organ. It can sometimes lead to severe liver damage, cirrhosis or even liver failure. Fatty liver disease is similar to liver damage caused by too much alcohol, but it is not caused by alcohol and can actually occur in those who drink little or no alcohol. People who have diabetes or ‘pre-diabetes’ (when blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not yet in the diabetic range) are more likely to have fatty liver disease than those without these conditions. People who are overweight are more likely to develop diabetes (see the ‘Type 2 diabetes’ section, page 21). It is not known why some people who are overweight or diabetic get fatty liver disease while others do not. Losing weight and being physically active will help you control your blood sugar levels. It can also reduce the build-up of fat in your liver and prevent further injury. People with fatty liver disease should avoid drinking alcohol.