1. Know Your Family History
Even without a known family history, certain diseases are statistically proven to occur at higher rates in obese individuals. Among those diseases are diabetes; breast, colon, cervix, gall bladder and uterine cancer, and heart disease. Factor in a family history of one of these conditions and the likelihood of developing it is much higher.
2. Determine Your Body Shape
Are you an apple or a pear? If you tend to pack on the pounds through the waist, you're an apple. If you tend to gain weight through the hips and thighs, you're a pear. This is important, because where you carry your weight has a direct bearing on your risk for developing certain diseases. Apples are at higher risk for developing arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and associated conditions such as heart attack. Pears are at lower risk for these conditions.
3. Listen to Your Joints
If you have pain in your joints, or if your knees go snap, crackle, pop when you go up stairs or squat, chances are your obesity is leading to inflammation in your joints and even to osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis mainly affects the weight-bearing joints, such as your knees and hips. The excess weight the joints must support accelerates the normal wear and tear on your joints. While osteoarthritis is not a life-threatening condition in the way that diabetes, cancer and heart disease are, the pain and limitations of mobility it causes often result in a greatly diminished quality of life.
4. Know Your Levels
Obesity is directly linked to high blood pressure and unhealthy cholesterol. If you don't know what your blood pressure and cholesterol levels are, you cannot begin to realistically assess the dangers of obesity. Ideal blood pressure is 120/70. The more elevated your blood pressure, the greater your risk of heart attack or stroke. In terms of cholesterol, obesity results in lower HDL cholesterol--or so-called "good" cholesterol--and higher LDL--or "bad"--cholesterol. This cholesterol profile places you at increased risk of developing heart disease.
5. Weigh the Factors
To adequately assess the real dangers of obesity to your health, you need to consider all the factors together. An apple-shaped obese person with high blood pressure, a poor cholesterol profile and a family history of, say, diabetes or cancer faces a perfect storm for obesity-related health risks and reduced life expectancy. A pear-shaped obese person whose blood pressure and cholesterol levels are controlled and who has no family history of disease may have a longer life expectancy. Either way, losing as little as 10 pounds through regular exercise and portion control can meaningfully reduce the dangers of obesity.
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