« Protecting Your Life | Home | Business English »
Obesity Problems In Women
By peace | December 8, 2006
Obesity is making the headlines in every state of our country. Current statistics place 64 percent of the adult population within some definition of obesity, from overweight to morbid obesity. Women and men are about equally represented (64.5 million women, 65.1 million men) in the 129.5 million American adults who are overweight. Nearly 62 percent of women and 67 percent of men are overweight.
When it comes to obesity, it seems a woman’s body handles it better than a man’s. A new study finds obese men are more carbohydrate intolerant than obese women, and obese women are more fit than obese men.
Differences In Men And Women In Storing Fat:
Men and women store deposits of fat under the skin all over the body. Unlike women, men tend to accumulate fat as n abdominal paunch. Like men, women build up fat deposits under the skin all over the body, notably around the top of the arms, the abdomen, and the buttocks. Women, however, also accumulate fat deposits under the skin of the breasts and around their hips and thighs.
Facts About Women And Obesity
According to American Obesity Association(AOA), among women, ages 20 to 74, 62 percent are overweight (Body Mass Index (BMI) of 25 or more) and about half of that population (34 percent) is obese (BMI of 30 or more). They have found that obesity (BMI of 30 or more) has increased among U.S. women of all age groups over the last decade and that women are more likely to become overweight (BMI of 25 or more) as they become older.
Among U.S. adults, black (non-Hispanic) women have the highest prevalence of overweight (78 percent) and obesity (50.8 percent). Besides race, middle-age women are at a particularly high risk of becoming obese. The prevalence of obesity among middle-age women (ages 35 to 64) has increased at a minimum of 2 percentage points per year over a 40-year time period from 1960 to 2000.
In addition, according to AOA, obesity appears to have a strong inverse relationship with Socioeconomic Status (obesity increases as income level decreases) among women in developed societies such as the U.S. Low-income women in minority populations appear most likely to be overweight.
In terms of health, a direct association has been found between body weight and deaths from all-causes in women, ages 30 to 55. When BMI exceeds 30, the relative risk of death related to obesity increases by 50 percent. There are many obesity-related conditions, which uniquely or mostly affect women, including those detailed below.
1. Arthritis
Women with obesity have almost four times the risk of osteoarthritis as non-obese women. Moreover, a stronger association between osteoarthritis and obesity has been observed in women than in men.
2. Birth Defects
Maternal obesity (BMI > 29) has been associated with an increased incidence of neural tube defects (NTD) in several studies, although variable results have been found in this area.
Folate intake, which decreases the risk of NTD’s, was found in one study to have a reduced effect with higher pre-pregnancy weight.
3. Breast Cancer
- After menopause, women with obesity have a higher risk of developing breast cancer. In addition, weight gain after menopause may also increase breast cancer risk.
- Women who gain about 45 pounds or more after age 18 are twice as likely to develop breast cancer after menopause than women with no weight gain.
- Before menopause, high BMI has been associated with a decreased risk of breast cancer. However, a recent study found an increased risk of the most lethal form of breast cancer, called inflammatory breast cancer (IBC), in women with BMI as low as 26.7 regardless of menopausal status.
- Before menopause, women who are overweight and have breast cancer appear to have a shorter life span than women with lower BMI.
4. Endometrial Cancer
Women with obesity have three to four times the risk of endometrial cancer than women with lower BMI. An estimated 34 to 56 percent of endometrial cancer risk can be attributed to overweight. It is found that body size is a risk factor for Endometrial cancer regardless of where fat is distributed in the body. In addition, women with obesity and diabetes have a 3-fold increase in risk for endometrial cancer above the risk of obesity alone.
5. Cardiovascular Disease
In middle and older age groups of women, heavier weight is associated with cardiovascular disease and its risk factors, particularly for women.
6. Gallbladder Disease
Obesity is the best-established predictor of gallbladder disease in women. Women with obesity have at least twice the risk of gallstone disease than women of normal weight.
7. Infertility
Obesity has been found to affect ovulation, response to fertility treatment, pregnancy rates and pregnancy outcome. Infertile women with obesity who lose weight have shown improvement in becoming pregnant and reaching full term.
8. Obstetric & Gynecological Complications
In addition to infertility, excess body fat can lead to complications such as menstrual abnormality, miscarriage and difficulties in performing assisted reproduction. The frequency of menstrual disturbance in women with severe obesity is three times greater than for women of normal weight. High pre-pregnancy weight is associated with an increased risk of pregnancy hypertension, gestational diabetes, urinary infection, Cesarean section delivery and toxemia.
Women with obesity are 13 times more likely to have overdue births, longer labors, induced labor and blood loss. Complications after childbirth, related to obesity, include an increased risk of wound and endometrial infection, endometritis and urinary tract infection.
9. Urinary Stress Incontinence
Obesity is a well-documented risk factor for the involuntary loss of urine as well as urgency.
Obesity has been found to be a strong risk factor for women of several urinary symptoms after childbirth.
10. Stigma & Discrimination
Women with obesity appear to have much more prejudice and discrimination directed against them than men with obesity. Obesity contributes to unemployment for women. After undergoing surgery to reduce obesity, a drop in unemployment rate from 84 to 64 percent was reported for women. Furthermore, women with obesity face significant barriers in establishing and maintaining social relationships in a society that emphasizes thinness as physical attractiveness. Finally, women with obesity have reported attending fewer years of college and receiving less financial support for higher education than women who are non-obese.
Obesity plays a significant role in causing poor health in women, negatively affecting quality of life and shortening quantity of life. More than half of adult U.S. women are overweight, and more than one-third are obese. The life expectancy of women in the U.S. is approaching 80 years of age, and more women than ever are expected to turn 65 in the second decade of the new millennium. Prevention and early treatment of obesity are crucial to ensuring a healthy population of women of all ages.
Topics: All Posts, Woman's Health | No Comments »
