World Obesity Day: Around 2.8 Million People Die of Obesity Annually

Around 2.8 million people die annually due to obesity and excessive body weight, according to World Health Organization (WHO). Obesity has been on the rise due to poor dietary choices, sedentary lifestyles, genetic issues and psychological, economic, environmental and cultural factors.

Obesity is the risk factor for various diseases but it is one of the key contributors to heart problems.

World Obesity Day is observed annually on March 4 to create awareness about the disease, which has become an epidemic that affects billions of people across the globe.

Childhood obesity has also become a cause of concern in the urban areas and over 30 percent of children are obese in urban areas.

Childhood obesity is a threatening for adult diabetes and high cardio-vascular risk factor as they are the future of diabetic patient and heart disease and most of the mortality cases in adult are due to the cardio-vascular attack.

Childhood obesity leads to high cholesterol which causes early heart disease in men and female have problems like irregular menstrual cycle, according to health experts.

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Five health risks associated with obesity are:

1. Hypertension
Even though hypertension or high blood pressure can occur in non-obese people, obesity increases the chances of developing hypertension. Excess accumulation of fat in the blood vessels leads to elevation of blood pressure. Elevated blood pressure can damage the kidney, the eyes, cause dementia and heart failure.

2. Cardiac diseases
Obesity is one of the leading causes of cardiovascular disease or disease of the heart and blood vessels. Obesity is linked to an increase in triglycerides, bad cholesterol levels and a decrease in good cholesterol. Obese people are also likely to develop diabetes. All of these factors increase the chances of heart disease and stroke.

3. Diabetes
Obese patients are at risk of developing type II diabetes due to insulin resistance that occurs due to a rise in fatty acid build-up and inflammation. Diabetes devastates kidneys, eyes, feet, ears and the heart, among other organs.

4. Osteoarthritis
Excess body weight puts a strain on the soft tissues and the weight-bearing joints like hip, knee and ankle joints. The tendons and ligaments become weak, and the cartilage, which cushions the joints, breaks down faster. Obesity can also change the curvature of the spine due to pressure from excess weight.

5. Sleep apnea
Overweight and obese people are at risk of developing obstructive sleep apnea. During sleep, the soft tissues of our mouth and throat become relaxed, and breathing gets temporarily cut off. In obese people, the airways in the upper respiratory tract become narrow due to excess fat deposits.

The theme of World Obesity Day 2022 is 'Everybody Needs to Act'. The campaign aims to improve the world’s understanding, prevention and treatment of obesity.

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