What are the health consequences of obesity and overweight?
The health consequences of obesity and overweight are many and varied, ranging from an increased risk of premature death to several non-fatal but debilitating and psychological complaints that can have an adverse effect on quality of life [18]. The major health problems associated with obesity and overweight are: Type 2 diabetes Cardiovascular diseases and hypertension Respiratory diseases (sleep apnea syndrome) Some cancers Osteoarthritis Psychological problems Alteration of the quality of life The degree of risk is influenced for example, by the relative amount of excess body weight, the location of the body fat, the extent of weight gain during adulthood and amount of physical activity. Most of these problems can be improved with relatively modest weight loss (10 to 15%), especially if physical activity is increased too.
