Beyond how it makes you look and feel, being obese has serious health complications. Reaching and maintaining a healthy weight can do wonders for your entire body.

1. Hypertension or High Blood Pressure

One of the biggest dangers from obesity is high blood pressure because it causes damage to the body’s arteries. You can have hypertension without knowing it, but it is causing problems that include:

• Kidney disease
• Vision loss
• Peripheral vascular disease
• Heart disease
• Strokes
• Coronary artery disease

Obesity is a primary reason for developing high blood pressure in adults, teenagers and children. Today, more children and teenagers are being diagnosed with hypertension because they consume a poor diet and seldom exercise. Fortunately, losing weight can reduce your blood pressure.

2. Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a condition that causes breathing problems that leads to poor sleep quality and daytime drowsiness. You might have breathing that is too shallow or experience pauses in breathing. In many cases, you may not realize that you have sleep apnea until undergoing diagnostic tests. Excess weight can cause sleep apnea because your throat’s tissue is too lax, making it difficult to breathe while sleeping. Obesity can cause excess fatty tissue to press against your lungs or narrow your sinus passages.

3. Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis causes discomfort in the joints after cartilage and bone begins to degrade. Wear and tear due to excess weight is a major factor that leads to this form of arthritis. When you are diagnosed with secondary osteoarthritis in weight bearing joints such as the hips, knees and ankles, the primary cause is obesity. Extra weight places additional force on the joints while you are standing or walking, and losing excess pounds can reduce the chances of having more damage that is caused by wear and tear.

4. Diabetes Mellitus

Diabetes mellitus is a common disorder that makes it difficult for your body to metabolize blood sugar. The symptoms for this metabolic condition are increased hunger, constant thirst and frequent urination. Type 2 diabetes mellitus is caused by excess weight, leading to insulin resistance. In the past, most individuals diagnosed with this form of diabetes mellitus were adults who were sedentary and obese. However, more teenagers and children are being diagnosed with this type of diabetes mellitus each year.

5. Gallbladder Disease

Gallbladder disease and gallstones are more common when you are overweight, especially if you are an adult female. To avoid developing frequent gallstones or chronic disease, you need to keep you weight appropriate for your height by consuming a nutritious diet and exercising daily.