Health Risks of Being Obese and Dangers of Anorexia, Bulimia, and Gastric By-Pass - Research Paper Example

Health Risks of being Obese and Dangers of Anorexia, Bulimia, and Gastric By-Pass There are many health related risks which are attached with obesity as well as with anorexia, bulimia and gastric bypass. The various health risks associated with obesity include heart disease, cancer, liver disease as well as gallbladder disease. It is also observed that anorexia and bulimia are two major eating disorders which adversely affect organs as well as health of individuals. Gastric bypass is a surgical method of weight reduction or loss. This method also possesses risks as well as complications which can have unfavorable effects on the health of individuals. Introduction Adults as well as children have been observed to frequently suffer from obesity in modern day context. Obesity is one of the major origins of preventable death. There are various health risks which are attached with obesity or overweight. The health risks associated with obesity are Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer, metabolic syndrome, gallbladder disease, pregnancy complications, liver disease as well as sleep apnea among others. Obesity is considered as a psychological as well as a physical problem. Moreover, psychological problems relating to depression, eating disorder and anxiety are among the factors which are responsible for disrupting healthy diet. Body mass index (BMI) is a technique utilized with the intention of determining health risks of a person associated with an individual weight. BMI is normally a proportion of weight to height (NIDDK, 2007). The paper will emphasize on health risks of obesity or overweight. Moreover, it will also discuss the dangers of anorexia, bulimia as well as gastric by-pass. Obesity: A Health Risk among Children and Adult Obesity is determined to be a major problem related to health for both children and adult. It is one of the main public health related problems. Moreover, obesity is considered to be a complex problem. In this regard, there are many factors including nutrition, genetic, energy consumption as well as environment factors which are responsible for contributing to obesity etiology. Overweight children possess many chronic conditions which may lead to obesity in their adult life. Obesity raises the risk of non-insulin dependent diabetes in adults as well as in children. Moreover, obesity in childhood can also lead to high blood pleasure related medical condition in adulthood. Hypertension is related to obesity which may cause cerebral hemorrhage and heart disease (Raman, 2002). Eating disorder is a major reason for obesity. Food is considered as a coping material for individuals suffering from weight gain problem. In this concern, individuals possessing these problems tend to intake food in order to cope up with anxious or stressed situations as well as circumstances. Intake of high calorie foods and night eating along with overeating are identified as problematic eating behaviors. Binge eating disorder (BED) is one of the major eating disorder problems, which is associated with individuals who consume food in more proportion than others for a distinct time period. Night eating disorder is also considered as one of the major causes of weight gain or obesity (Collins & Bentz, 2009). The health risks which are associated with obesity or overweight are as follows: Type 2 Diabetes Type 2 diabetes is a health related problem of increase in blood sugar level greater than normal. High level of blood sugar is a major factor which leads to various diseases with regard to heart, stroke, blindness, kidney problem as well as amputation. This sort of diabetes is mainly linked with old age, history of diabetes of a family member and obesity. In this regard, individuals who are obese or overweight acquire this health problem as obesity may alter body cells which resist insulin hormones to function properly (NIDDK, 2007). Coronary Heart Disease and Stroke Coronary heart disease signifies that the heart as well as circulation of blood is not operating in a normal manner. Moreover, it is often observed that the arteries of the heart may harden or become narrow among individuals. Individuals who posses this disease may suffer heart attack, sudden cardiac death as well as abnormal heart rhythm among others. Obese or overweight individuals acquire this disease as their sugar level is high as well as possess triglycerides i.e. blood fats which are the major factors responsible for this disease (NIDDK, 2007). Gallbladder Disease Gallbladder disease is related with gallstones as well as infection along with inflammation in the gallbladder. Obese or overweight people acquire this disease due to more cholesterol of fats. Moreover, overweight individuals may possess inflated gallbladder which may not operate in a proper manner (NIDDK, 2007). Fatty Liver Disease Fatty liver disease is related to the accumulation of fats in the liver cells which may injure the liver as well as might lead to liver inflammation. Obese or overweight individuals can acquire this disease due to diabetes, when the blood sugar level is high (NIDDK, 2007). The above mentioned health problems are the diseases which are caused due to obesity or overweight among individuals. Moreover, these diseases are regarded to be the major health risks for obese individuals. Anorexia Anorexia is a problem of eating disorder. Moreover, anorexia is a psychiatric situation in which individuals starve themselves with the intention of reducing or maintaining weight or body fat. Anorexia signifies “nervous loss of appetite” (Starr, Evers, & Starr, 2010). The individuals with anorexia nervosa seem to consider that they are fat whilst they are thin. Women are the main victims of this disorder. Furthermore, it is believed that anorexia is a genetic problem which runs in families (Starr, Evers, & Starr, 2010). Anorexia causes damages as well as affects key organs of human body. There are certain symptoms as well as complications attached with anorexia. These symptoms as well as complications are as follows: Growth The affect of anorexia tends to be devastating in case of children as it hinders their growth as well as maturity in complete manner. Moreover, children who acquire this disorder in a chronic form are usually short heighted (Gurze Books, LLC., 2010). Sexual Development Anorexia tends to affect sexual development of individuals. It mainly affects the menstrual periods or cycle of girls who acquire anorexia (Gurze Books, LLC., 2010). Gastrointestinal Symptoms There are many gastrointestinal symptoms which are observed in anorexic individuals. These symptoms are usually caused due to malnutrition as well as owing to minimal use of gastrointestinal tract. Moreover, these symptoms are related to stomachaches as well as bloating (Gurze Books, LLC., 2010). Low Blood Pressure, Dizziness, Hypothermia and Poor Concentration Individuals who acquire anorexia face dizziness as well as lack of concentration and it leads to a feeling of faintness. Moreover, it also leads to low blood pressure as well as hypothermia which generate a feeling of cold. These problems are mainly caused due to eating disorder (Gurze Books, LLC., 2010). The above mentioned diseases are the health risks which are faced by individuals possessing anorexia nervosa. In this regard, these are the dangers that persist in anorexia affected individuals. Bulimia Bulimia is another sort of eating disorder in which individuals eat in excessive quantities within a short period of time. However, after consumption of excessive food, a strict dieting procedure is followed with the intention of reducing weight or fats. It is also observed that individuals who suffer from bulimia are characterized with self-induced vomiting as well as with excessive exercise. With this concern, there are various harmful effects of induced vomiting which include the aspect that the esophagus as well as teeth is bathed with acidic gastric fluid. This gastric fluid causes harmful affect on the teeth’s enamel which can lead to brittle teeth. Moreover, frequent exposure to gastric acid may lead to cancer in the esophagus. Bulimia is common among women who follow strict dieting in order to maintain their weight (Jacoby & Youngson, 2004). Therefore, it can be observed that anorexia and bulimia are mainly caused due to eating disorder. Moreover, obese or overweight individuals acquire eating disorder with the intention to reduce weight but this creates harmful effects on various organs of their body. Gastric By-Pass Gastric By-Pass is a sort of surgery which is performed in order to reduce weight. Moreover, this surgery is identified as a malabsorptive as well as restrictive procedure of surgery. It is determined as restrictive with the notion of estimating the quantity of food which the stomach will be capable to hold. It is also considered as malabsorptive with the intention of determining the amount of food as well as calories which are required to be absorbed in the bloodstream. The Roux-en-Y is one of the most familiar surgeries in relation to gastric bypass. Furthermore, this surgery is performed through laparoscopic or keyhole surgery procedure. This surgery facilitates in losing weight in a quick as well as in a dramatic manner. It also enables to improve health related issues of individuals who are suffering from obesity (Lobo, Edmonds, & Eden, n.d.). There are various risks attached with gastric bypass surgery. These risks are related to malnourishment as well as anemia which may require an individual to take vitamin supplements for life long. Moreover, this surgery alters the diet as well as lifestyle of individuals who have executed this surgery. There is also a risk of loss of hair for individuals who are undertaking this surgery (Lobo, Edmonds, & Eden, n.d.). There are certain complications with regard to gastric bypass which comprise Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) i.e. clotting of blood in the veins of deep leg. This surgery may hamper or effect adjacent organs. Serious infections may be caused due to leakage in staple line of digestive contents. Moreover, there are certain other sorts of complications which are related with gastric bypass that include gallstones as well as dehydration along with bleeding ulcers (Tice, Karliner, Walsh, Petersen & Feldman, 2008). These are the various risks as well as complications which are attached with gastric bypass. Conclusion Obesity or overweight is one of the major health problems among children as well as adults. Moreover, obesity is considered as a serious as well as a chronic disease which is observed to be affecting people worldwide. Obesity is caused due to high amount of fats or cholesterol in the body as well as it is identified as a major reason of avoidable death. There are various health related risks which are attached with obesity that include heart disease, cancer, diabetes, gallbladder diseases, pregnancy complications as well as liver diseases. BMI is a tool used for measuring obesity or fats in the body of an individual. There are many reasons which lead to obesity and among them eating disorder is determined as one of the major causes of obesity. Individuals with the intention of maintaining or losing weight acquire dieting as well as strict exercise procedures. In this regard, it may lead to anorexia and bulimia which are the two major eating disorders. These two medical conditions adversely affect the organs as well as health of individuals. Moreover, in the process of losing weight individuals adopt gastric bypass procedure. This surgical method assists in losing weight effectively but there are various risks as well as complications which are associated with this procedure. References Collins, J. C. & Bentz, J. E. (2009). Behavioral and psychological factors in obesity. The Journal of Lancaster General Hospital 4(4), pp. 124-127. Gurze Books, LLC. (2010). Medical symptoms and complications associated with anorexia. Resources. Jacoby, D. B. & Youngson, R. M. (2004). Encyclopedia of family health. Singapore: Marshall Cavendish. Lobo, P., Edmonds, H., & Eden, G. (n.d.). Gastric bypass surgery. Multimedia health education, pp. 4-13. NIDDK. (2007). Do you know the health risks of being overweight?. U.S. Department of health and human services, pp. 1-8. Raman, R. P. (2002). Obesity and health risks. Journal of the American College of Nutrition 21(2), pp. 134S-139S. Starr, C., Evers, C. A., & Starr, L. (2010). Biology: A Human Emphasis. United States: Cengage Learning. Tice, J. A., Karliner, L., Walsh, J., Petersen, A. J. & Feldman, M. D. (2008). Gastric banding or bypass? A systematic review comparing the two most popular bariatric procedures. The American Journal of Medicine 121(10), pp. 885-893. Read More