Obesity has become an epidemic and it is not hard to see the reasons behind this. Just compare life now to how it used to be before the effects of obesity became a problem to the level it is today. Nowadays, sedentary lifestyles are common thanks to television, the Internet, and the ever increasing list of video game choices. Often times school and work also promote a sedentary lifestyle. Other deterrents include less healthy home cooked meals, more junk foods, processed foods, and fast foods with all kinds of ingredients that promote weight gain.

More people are obese now than ever before. If you have been able to avoid this distinction, then it is quite possible that you know some people who are. Obesity effects more than just looks however. Obesity is defined as a BMI (body mass index) of 30 or more. Morbid obesity is being 100 pounds or more overweight.

Obesity is harmful both medically and psychologically. One of the predominant negative effects of obesity is a reduced self esteem. It is hard being obese especially when living in a society that says being too skinny is what is beautiful. These are some of the psychological effects of obesity, but there are many more serious medical effects.

The common medical effects of obesity are heart disease, high blood pressure, type II diabetes, types of cancer, respiratory problems, sleep apnea, and osteoarthritis. Given all these conditions and complications, it may come as no surprise to know that obesity also reduces life expectancy.

The extra fat carried around by people who suffer from obesity puts a strain on their heart and their breathing. The heart has to work harder just to do its normal job of pumping blood throughout the body. And because obesity causes people to commonly experience breathing difficulties, they are not getting the amount of oxygen their body adequately requires making them even more fatigued and/or depressed. This, in turn, causes them to take more self-destructive measures like over-eating and lacking the energy and drive to exercise.

The types of cancer that obesity increases of the risk of are breast, colon, gallbladder, and uterus in women and prostate and colon cancer in men.

Obesity is the leading causes of preventable death. It is estimated that around 300,000 people die each year because of medical problems caused by obesity. Heart disease is the number one killer of Americans and obesity is one of the leading causes of heart disease.