Obesity is more harmful to women than men, affecting brain function and causing asthma and swollen feet.

Why is obesity a far more harmful condition to women than men?

Studies by some domestic and international experts have shown that women are not only more prone to obesity than men, but the harm caused by obesity in women is also far greater than that in men.

First, obese women are more prone to breast cancer. A reputable American institution conducted a 10-year long-term follow-up study of 166 female breast cancer patients. More than half of them died later in the study, and these deaths were almost exclusively among obese patients. Based on this, experts warned that women over 30 who are obese have a significantly increased risk of developing breast cancer. Because this disease is unique to women, it poses an especially great threat to them.

Secondly, obesity has a significant impact on female sexual function. Obesity can lead to abnormal ovarian development, ovulation disorders, and underdeveloped sex organs, and it significantly affects a woman's menstrual cycle and fertility. Therefore, the proportion of amenorrhea among obese women is quite high, reaching 16.4%, menstrual disorders account for 5.5%, oligomenorrhea accounts for 28.7%, and menorrhagia/frequent menstruation accounts for 5.5%, with a total of 56.1% experiencing menstrual abnormalities. Disorders in menstruation and other physiological phenomena inevitably affect the overall balance of a woman's body. Therefore, this is a uniquely female concern; obese men do not experience these problems. Thus, in a sense, weight loss is more urgent for women than for men.

Why does obesity affect brain function?

Besides being clumsy and slow-moving, the most prominent problems in obese individuals are slower reaction times, poorer memory, and excessive fatigue, often feeling drowsy throughout the day. Expert research confirms that these symptoms are indeed related to obesity. Obesity disrupts both glucose and fat metabolism, factors that can significantly impact brain function.

As we all know, obese individuals often suffer from high blood sugar and high cholesterol. Because their blood triglyceride and carbohydrate levels are generally quite high, blood viscosity increases, significantly reducing the oxygen-carrying capacity of red blood cells. This inevitably leads to oxygen deficiency in brain cells, so it's not surprising that problems such as drowsiness, fatigue, and memory loss occur. Furthermore, obese individuals generally have higher blood viscosity, which easily causes problems such as cerebral arteriosclerosis and cerebral vascular occlusion. If these problems occur, the damage to brain function will be enormous.

13

Why are obese people prone to shortness of breath?

In addition to being clumsy and having difficulty moving, the most prominent characteristic of obese people is that they will feel short of breath and have difficulty breathing even with slight activity.

The main reason obese individuals experience this condition is related to excessive body fat. When fat accumulates in the chest, it restricts the movement of the chest respiratory muscles, reducing thoracic compliance. When excessive fat accumulates in the abdominal cavity, the diaphragm rises, reducing lung capacity. Increased fatty tissue in the lungs also impairs alveolar gas exchange. Therefore, obese individuals often experience shortness of breath even with minimal exertion.

In addition, obese people are generally heavier than normal people, and they consume a lot of energy when they are active. As a result, their oxygen consumption also increases. Their oxygen consumption is generally 30% to 40% higher than that of normal people. This will cause insufficient ventilation in the lungs, and they will become short of breath even with slight activity.

Experts believe that shortness of breath is just one small aspect of the physical discomfort experienced by obese individuals. If obesity becomes excessive, this shortness of breath worsens, leading to difficulty breathing, carbon dioxide retention, and oxygen deficiency. This is not only harmful to health but can even be life-threatening. In severely obese individuals, fat deposits in the throat, narrowing the airway and obstructing airflow, causing shortness of breath. In severe cases, this can cause the tongue to fall back, leading to respiratory obstruction, cyanosis, and even loss of consciousness, ultimately resulting in death. Therefore, obesity is not a minor ailment, and all obese individuals must take this issue seriously.

Why are obese people particularly prone to swollen feet?

14

Obesity and edema are actually two different concepts, and they are also completely different in clinical practice.

However, obesity is often associated with edema. According to incomplete statistics, over 20% of obese individuals, especially obese women, frequently experience swollen feet. First, this type of edema is completely different from edema caused by internal organ diseases; it generally occurs in the feet. Second, this type of edema is unrelated to internal organ diseases, and traditional methods of treating edema will certainly be ineffective.

Actually, this strange swelling in the feet is mainly caused by increased filtration pressure in the lower limb blood vessels and obstructed venous return in obese individuals; it should be said that obesity is the culprit. Obese individuals have increased subcutaneous fat, which weakens the support for superficial veins, making them easier to dilate. The reduced external pressure increases the pressure of fluid filtration from inside the blood vessels. In addition, obese people generally don't exercise much, reducing the assisting effect of muscle movement on venous blood return, leading to increased venous pressure in the lower limbs, increased capillary filtration pressure, and the gradual accumulation of interstitial fluid, eventually resulting in swollen feet.

Why is obesity related to lack of exercise?

It is well known that obesity is the result of the combined effects of environmental and genetic factors. However, compared to genetic factors, environmental factors have a greater impact on the development of obesity, with affluent lifestyle coupled with insufficient physical activity being a major environmental factor.

Studies have shown that when people don't exercise enough or do enough physical labor, their metabolic rate decreases significantly. If they consume too many nutrients, these nutrients can only be stored as energy, leading to a high level of anabolism and a low level of catabolism, especially a significant reduction in fat breakdown. How can a person not gain weight in this situation?

Humans expend a significant amount of energy during exercise and physical labor. For example, ordinary physical activities such as walking, washing clothes, and sweeping can increase the body's metabolic rate by 3 to 5 times, while vigorous exercise like playing football or basketball can increase it by 10 to 20 times or more. Therefore, athletes are unlikely to be obese while active, but obesity often creeps in after retirement and cessation of strenuous exercise. Given this close relationship between exercise and obesity, why not increase physical activity? The problem lies here: many people would rather comfortably take the elevator upstairs than put in the effort to walk up the stairs.

Exercise accelerates blood circulation; it can improve lung function in obese individuals, helping to oxidize excess fat tissue; and it can help lower blood lipid levels in obese individuals, reducing the risk of coronary heart disease. In short, exercise can help you lose fat and get rid of the troubles of obesity.