To be overweight is to have more body fat than what is considered optimally healthy. Excess weight and obesity increases the risk of so many health problems. Some of them are discussed below.

Type 2 diabetes

This is a disease associated with high blood sugar levels. There are several adverse effects to having a high blood sugar including kidney problems, heart disease, stroke, amputations, and even death.

Most people with type 2 diabetes are obese or overweight. It is believed that being overweight hinders the cells from using insulin. Without insulin, the cells cannot utilize blood sugar. This is how one ends up having high blood sugar levels.

High blood pressure/hypertension

As the heart pumps blood, it pushes it to the arteries to reach the rest of the body. How hard the blood pushes against the walls of the arteries is called blood pressure.

Being overweight causes a fat build-up along the walls of the arteries. The heart then needs to pump harder causing a high blood pressure. Hypertension can lead to kidney failure, stroke, and heart disease.

Kidney disease

The most common causes of kidney disease are diabetes and hypertension. Being overweight increases the health risk of both of these and paves the way for chronic kidney disease. However, obesity itself quickens the progress of kidney disease.

Sleep apnea

This is a health condition characterized by pauses in breathing that occur when a person is asleep. Sleep apnea leads to drowsiness, concentration problems, and in some cases, heart failure.

An overweight person may have more fat around the neck area. This excess fat blocks the air which then causes a difficulty when breathing. When asleep, breathing can be more difficult and can lead to long pauses in breathing.

There are so many health problems that are associated with being overweight. Stroke, heart disease, and some types of cancer like colon and rectum cancer are more apt to occur when one is overweight. It is safer to maintain a healthy weight to avoid the health problems associated.