Knowing the facts about serious health consequences of being overweight is not all bad news.The flipside of the problems of gaining weight is that losing weight can bring quick and significant health benefits.A reassuring body of research has concluded that if you are seriously overweight (BMI of 30 and more), than losing just 10 per cent of your body weight can improve your health and even add years to your life.

Other Health Benefits

As well as the established evidence of improvements to these life-threatening aspects of obesity, successful slimmers often report that losing weight benefits their health and wellbeing in many other ways, too. These can include improving the symptoms of asthma ; less heavy or painful periods; reducing backache,arthritis pain and gout; improving digestive conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome; getting a better night’s sleep (being seriously overweight can lead to a distressing and dangerous condition called obstructive sleep apnoea); and a general lifting of mood.

Add to all these benefits the overall feel-good factor that comes from having more energy, feeling fitter and healthier, and experiencing the confidence that comes from knowing that you are looking good.It is hardly surprising that people who have lost weight successfully nearly always say: ‘ I just wish i’d done it sooner.’

Below is some background information to the most common weight-related health problems that may develop.

Coronary heart disease: One of the key aspects of heart health is the ability of the heart and its surrounding arteries to circulate blood strongly and freely round the body.Being overweight can damage heart health in a number of ways, mainly by raising the level of unhealthy facts, such as low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and triglycerides, in the blood.A build-up of these fats over time can narrow or clog the arteries, a condition known as atherosclerosis, and this in turn can lead to chronic diseases such as angina, or acute conditions such as a heart attack.

High blood pressure, which is three times more common among overweight people than slim people, is also a big risk factor.And even where there are no problems with blood fats or blood pressure, just carrying excess weight, especially around the middle, seems to increase the likelihood of developing heart disease.

Type 2 Diabetes: The condition affects 1.4 million people in the UK and possibly a further million who have not had their condition diagnosed, according to the charity Diabetes UK.Type 2 diabetes is sometimes called ‘late onset’ because, unlike type 1, it tends to develop in adult life, and being overweight is a big risk factor: over 80 per cent of adults with type 2 diabetes have a BMI of more than 25 when they are diagnosed.Children and teenagers are also being diagnosed more frequently as obesity rises.

Type 2 diabetes is caused when the insulin that the pancreas produces in the body fails to control blood sugar properly (insulin resistance) or when the pancreas fails to produce enough insulin for the body’s needs.Research shows that excess weight, especially around the waistline, increases insulin resistance so the pancreas has to work harder to get the same effect.Having too much sugar in the blood causes symptoms such as excessive thirst, blurred vision, fatigue and passing urine frequently.Having too much insulin in the blood causes other problems, such as increasing blood pressure and raising the level of various fats in the blood.This puts people with type 2 diabetes at high risk of heart disease and stroke; untreated diabetes can also cause serious damage to the eyes,kidneys, nerves and circulation.

Cancers: Cancer Research UK states that after smoking , obesity is the second biggest preventable cause of cancers.The links between being overweight and cancer are complex and not all of them are fully understood.

However, it seems that obesity can unbalance the function of certain hormones, which could increase the risk of hormonally-sensitive cancers in women, such as cancer of the uterus, ovaries, cervix and endometrium.Excess abdominal fat (the apple shape) has also been linked to a higher risk of breats cancer in women after menopause.Cancers of the digestive system, such as colon or rectal cancer, may have more of a link to a high-fat, low-fibre diet, which is likely to lead to weight gain.

High Blood Pressure: Blood pressure is measured by taking two readings: the systolic pressure ( the first, higher figure, taken when the heart contracts) and dystolic pressure( the second, lower pressure, taken when the heart is relaxed).A normal level is 120/80,and a reading that is consistently over 140/90 is unhealthily high.Many people with high blood pressure have no symtoms, but that does not neccessarily mean that there is no problem: untreated high blood pressure can cause a stroke, heart disease or damage to other organs in the body.

Being overweight is not the only cause of high blood pressure: eating too much salt,drinking too much alcohol and being inactive can also contribute.The good news is that as well as losing weight, changing your diet and lifestyle is a quick and effective way to reduce your blood pressure.

Gall Bladder Disease:One large study found that overweight women were 33 per cent more likely to develop gallstones than a similar group of healthy-weight women.Gallstones are a painful side-effect of the build-up of fats in the blood, as they are caused by clumps of cholesterol in the gall bladder, which plays a part in digestion.Cancer of the gall bladder is a rarer complication.

Can you be overweight and healthy? The answer is yes- and no. Of course your overall health depends on many risk factors, such as your family history, whether you smoke or drink heavily, your fitness level, where you carry your weight and so on. If being overweight is your only risk factor, than you have more chance of remaining in good health than someone who ticks a lot of ‘risk’ boxes.And there will always be overweight people who reach a hale and hearty old age without losing a pound.

Unfortunately, however, statics show that if you are overweight you are unlikely to be one of those people- they are the exception that proves the rule.Here are five disturbing facts, which come from UK National Health Service - endorsed studies:

* If your BMI is 24 or more, your risk of dying within a 26-year period increases by one per cent for every pound put on between the ages of 30 and 42, and by two per cent for every pound put on between the ages of 50 and 62.

*Deaths linked to obesity, of which there are about 30,000 a year, shorten the life of the deceased by nine years on average.

*Your risk of coronary heart disease doubles at a BMI of over 25, and nearly quardruples at a BMI of 29 or more.

*The risk of developing type 2 diabetes is 40 times greater at a BMI of 35 or more.

*III health linked to obesity is responsible for 18 million days of work a year and costs NHS at least $1500 million a year in treatment.

Why Weight is to Blame:

It is easy to imagine why being overweight can cause certain health problems -breathlessness or pain in weight-bearing joints such as the knees and lower spine.Some medical conditions , however, have a more complex relationship with weight.A BMI of between 18.5 and 24.9 is tought to be within the desirable ‘healthy’ range, so, in theory, any weight gain that takes your BMI above 25 is potentially a risk to your health.It is generally accepted though that the risk of serious conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease, rises significantly at a BMI of around 27 or above.

So why worry if you are only a few pounds overweight? The trouble is that extra pounds can have a habit of creeping up on unawares.So if your BMI hovers around the 25 level, it makes sense to keep your weight stable or to lose a few pounds.And, of course, if your BMI is unhealthily high, slimming will quickly bring big benefits.

Before you set yourself a weight loss goal, it is a good idea to find out what kind of shape you are in.These days there is more to working out your ideal weight than just standing on the scales, which only tell part of the story .It takes just a few minutes to discover how healthy your weight and shape are and also to decide what you want to aim for.

Do you have a weight problem and, if so, how much do you need to lose to reach the weight range that is healthy for you? Here are some easy ways to find out the facts about your figure.

The Scientific Approach

Most of us have several different ways of keeping an eye on our weight: for instance, we notice when a favorite pair of trousers feels too tight, or when we don’t like what we see in the mirror or on the bathroom scales.To assess what your weight really says about your health and wellbeing though, it pays to take a more scientific approach.

If you have been in denial about your weight for years, the tought of finding out the cold facts might be daunting, but it might not be as bad as you think.Many people have a fixed idea about what their weight ’should be’, and often it’s based on the slim figure they had as teenager or on their wedding day, which might not be comfortable or realistic for them now.And if the truth about your weight does come as an unpleasent shock, turn that feeling into a motivational boost.Now that you are about to start a healthy weight loss campaign, you need never see that figure on the scales again.

Body Mass Index

A simple weight-and-height comprasion used to be the favoured method of assessing whether someone was overweight or not.Today health professionals prefer to use the Body Mass Index (BMI), a figure that represents your weight per square metre.

BMI is based on the assumption that the difference between people who are the same height, but different weights, generally reflects how much fat they have on their bodies.So for assessing health status.BMI is a more accurate measurement than weight versus height alone, as it takes body composition into account.

What your BMI means

The World Health Organization (WHO) has established that a BMI of between 18.5 and 24.9 is ‘normal’, by which it means that someone whose BMI is within this range has the least risk of developing weight-related health problems.

A BMI of 25-30 is considered ‘overweight’ with an increased risk of developing weight-related illnesses, such as certain cancers, heart disease and type 2 diabets.The higher your BMI above this level , the more risk to your health increases and the more you will benefit by losing weight: losing just five to 10 per cent of your body weight and keeping it off can make a difference, so it’s well worth aiming for.

Waist Management

Your waist management is another important indicator fo whether you are in healthy shape or not.This is because research has shown that where we carry any excess weight on the body is just as crucial to our overall health as how much extra we might have.

It appears that too much fat around the stomach, seen as an apple shape or ‘beer belly’, plays a damaging role in increasing the body’s resistance to insulin, which in turn can lead to an increased risk of type 2 diabets and heart disease.

Someone who is an apple shape will have a greater risk of health problems than someone of the same weight who carries their weight around the hips, thighs and bottom ( the classic ‘pear’ shape)

Measure Your Waist

To Measure your waist, keep the tape measure flat and hold it firmly but now too tightly against your skin.The place to measure is the midpoint between the bottom of the ribs and the top of the hip bone, about 2,5 cm (1 in) above the nave!

Cellulite is the non-medical name for the lumpy fat that gives skin an ‘orange peel’ or ‘cottage cheese’ appearance and slightly swollen texture. It usually affects the thighs and bottom and is mainly a problem for women rather than men. It can worsen with age and can affect slim as well as overweight people.

What causes cellulite? Various theories exist about what causes cellulite and why it might be different from other types of fat; most common explanations put the blame on a build-up of toxins, a nutritional deficiency or a poorly functioning lymphatic system. For this reason, anti-cellulite diets are often quite similar to detox or diuretic diets, with the emphasis on cleansing the system.

Exercise helps. As cellulite is body fat, most people who are affected find that it improves when they lose weight. Exercise can also be helpful in toning the muscles and defining the shape of the affected areas, so that the texture of the skin looks smoother. However, it may be difficult to eliminate cellulite entirely since it is caused by structural change in the collagen fibres that separate fat cells into clusters, which occurs as the body ages. When weight loss shrinks the fat cells, the dimpled effect will be less visible but the collagen structure remains.

For this reason, it is unlikely that a special anti-cellulite diet will be any more effective than a conventional healthy weight-loss diet in reducing dimpled fat. Cutting down on salt may help as too much salt promotes water retention, which could contribute to the mild swelling seen beneath the skin where cellulite is present.

An anti-cellulite diet is likely to be low in calories, which will reduce overall energy intake and will produce weight loss. There is little evidence that a special diet will be more effective than any other in reducing cellulite. Extreme diets of any kind are generally harder to stick to and les: likely to succeed in the long term.