Most Americans are not aware that carrying extra pounds puts them at risk. The harsh reality is that being obese can make you lose at least 20 years of your life. Luckily, losing just a little amount of weight reduces the risks. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 68 percent of Americans are either obese or overweight. It's important to understand why you should lose weight especially if you are facing a life-threating condition.

Being overweight increases cancer risk

An overweight woman’s risk of contracting endometrial cancer is four times higher than that of a woman with moderate weight, and probably it’s the same reason that increases her chances of contracting breast cancer.

Body fat produces estrogen, a hormone which is linked to both breast and Endometrial Cancer as stated by a study from Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Research conducted by the University of Minnesota also found that leptin which is a hormone associated with weight gain facilitates developments of normal and cancerous breast cells. You can consult your doctor about birth control pills because they contain estrogen and progestin which reduces the risk of developing endometrial cancer by fifty percent in women.

You lack sleep

Your diet can control how quickly you drift to sleep and how you rested upon waking. Many times, people are overweight because of their poor diet and eat foods that digest fast and leave them hungry often.

Therefore, the body is left searching for high energy foods as quick fixes, like sugary and fatty foods, which have been proved to impact your sleep quality negatively. Getting rid of these unhealthy foods will help you sleep well and increase your workout time. Exercise has been known to help your body resist health conditions like diabetes, depression and cardiovascular disease which hinder sleep.

It makes it hard for you to exercise

Being obese prevents you from working out as you are supposed to. You might not be planning to be a triathlon champion, but for truth sake, physical fitness is necessary and has an impact on your body. Excess weight makes it harder for you to breathe and simple tasks like walking to your mailbox or climbing the stairs become difficult.

Therefore, you should exercise more to cut that weight and help your body to perform tasks that you are currently unable to.

It makes your immune system work poorly

You need to know that you can’t deposit and withdraw energy from body fat like an ATM. Fat is an active endocrine, and it excretes cell signaling molecules known as cytokines and hormones. These two compounds communicate with one another chemically. If you have too much fat, your cell signals won't work properly, and your immune system functions poorly. More body fat and BMI increases risks of having stomach, gum, and nose infections, and herpes. Fat releases large amounts of chemicals, which interfere with the body’s ability to track down infections and fight them.

An overweight body is not a happy body. Observe what you eat, and exercise frequently. Don’t forget to consult your doctor regularly.
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