In the recent years, obesity has become amongst the top challenging health plights within the globe. The WHO report of 2014 showed that over 1.9 billion adults in the world had been affected by obesity. Obesity refers to the condition whereby, the body exhibits larger proportions of fat content than lean body mass and is caused by a high energy intake. The most common way of assessing obesity in individuals is by calculating the Body Mass Index abbreviated BMI. This is the ratio of an individual’s weight to the individual’s height (Stillman et al. 2). Many researchers contend that obesity or overweight if often caused by overconsumption of foods that are energy-dense and leading sedentary lifestyles. This essay discusses how obesity affects human body and mind.
Obesity leads to skin problems. Obese or overweight individuals easily sweat and have large skin folds which are caused by thick subcutaneous fatty layers. Obesity affects skin-barrier functionality, the production-level of sebum, and the functioning of sebaceous glands. In addition, obesity causes dysfunctionality of the veins and arteries under the skin, lymph channels, collagen organization, as well as the subcutaneous fatty layer. Thus, since obese individuals sweat greatly, it upsets the hormonal equilibrium of the body (Mandal). Losing great amounts of water through sweat makes the skin dry and therefore for it to repair in instances of wounding, it is difficult.
Sebum helps in moisturizing the skin and making it supple and therefore since obesity causes blockage and infection of sebaceous channels, this causes a skin problem known as acne due to increase in hormonal growth such as insulin and androgens. Further, obesity affects the lymph channels by causing a condition known as lymphedema. It also alters blood circulation in vessels within the skin thus increasing blood flow. In addition, obesity alters collagen organization in the skin thus impeding wound healing. The prevalent skin diseases/conditions resulting from obesity include; acanthosis nigricans, intertrigo, skin infections, and psoriasis among others (Mandal). Therefore, obesity can be considered a serious cause of detriments to the skin.
Obesity raises the chances of deaths. This is because obesity leads to chronic diseases which include; heart diseases, hypertension, stroke, type 2 diabetes, endocrine disease, and metabolic syndrome. Amongst the major causes of death resulting from obesity includes cardiovascular problems. In 2015, there were over 20 million deaths which resulted from cardiovascular-related illnesses which could be approximated as 30 percent of all the global deaths (Stillman et al. 2). It has emerged over the recent past that cardiovascular illnesses have become the main threat of human life. Obesity comprises of muscle-adipose tissue which has been noted to be the risk aspect for cardiovascular diseases and cardiac deaths.
Obesity causes a distribution of abdominal adiposity which in combination with high-serum intensities of triglycerides and other obesity-related issues forms the metabolic syndrome. Obesity leads to high-serum intensities of free-fatty-acids which have been known to trigger cardiac arrhythmias, amongst the leading causes of deaths. Other diseases linked with other lifestyle chronic diseases such as stroke and numerous types of cancer (Mandal). Researchers have determined that obese women tend to produce more oestrogens which increase the risk of breast cancer. In addition, obesity-related complications are a risk of death since it reduces human lifespan, as some researchers has contended that the life expectancy in the US could decline in a few decades to come (Kava et al. 8).
Obesity affects the functionality of the human brain. This is because obesity can alter the brain’s structure and result in its atrophy. Obese individuals have been noted to have a poor episodic memory which makes it hard for them to recall recent occurrences especially for adults who are aged between 18 and 35. It is reported that obese persons recall events less vividly or with little details (Stillman et al. 5). Obesity has been associated with alterations in the brain functionality affecting neuromuscular activities which makes it hard for obese persons to grasp or grip things. There is a prevalent relationship between obesity and several mental disorders.
These disorders include; depression, nervousness, stress, and low-esteem. Obese individuals depict a low self-worth since they see themselves as overweight and thus different from other people (Esfahani & Pal 6). There is a wide relation between depression and obesity where overeating has been noted to be a symptom of obese individuals. Obese people who may be experiencing teasing due to their appearance may develop body dissatisfaction and get depressed. Further, obese individuals have been noted to have low cognitive performance than non-obese individuals. Obesity also causes dementia during the period or later in life. It is therefore obvious that there are many effects of obesity on the human brain hence the human mind since obesity reduces brain structure and functionality.
In conclusion, obesity has various effects on the human body and mind. It has far-reaching consequences to the skin as it causes various skin complications, it is a major death risk since it leads to cardiovascular diseases, and it also affects the mind by altering and impeding the brain structure and functionality. Thus, it leads to mental disorders such as depression. However, it must be noted that since obesity is caused majorly by uncontrolled eating styles and leading sedentary lifestyles, it therefore means that it is one of the preventable diseases.