肥胖的五个隐藏危险

超重会以意想不到的方式危害健康

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现在,人们普遍知道,严重超重会增加患心脏病、中风和糖尿病的风险,而肥胖——定义为体重至少超过正常上限 20%——正在上升。据估计,到 2030 年,美国将比今天增加 6500 万肥胖人口,这将导致额外 600 万例或更多例心脏病和中风,以及另外 800 万例 2 型糖尿病。许多临床医生已经开始看到祖父母比他们的子女和孙子女更健康、更长寿的家庭。


Visualization is courtesy of TheVisualMD.com

As if these alarming figures were not bad enough, studies over the past few years have shown that the obesity epidemic’s true costs extend even further. Research now confirms that excess weight can impinge on mental well-being (exacerbating both depression and Alzheimer’s disease), sexual and reproductive health, and the quality of everyday living—especially as we get older. Scientists believe that perhaps 25 percent of several types of malignancies—including cancer of the colon, kidney and esophagus—are triggered by increasing rates of obesity and physical inactivity.

The consequences, as documented in the images at the right, created by TheVisualMD.com and based on the latest related anatomical data, offer a sobering “anatomical travelogue” of just how far-ranging obesity’s toll on the body can be.

Heartburn: A 2005 study of 450 individuals found that obese adults are two and a half times more likely to experience heartburn compared with people of normal weight. One possible cause: visceral fat may push the stomach higher into the chest.

Labored breathing: Visceral fat, which surrounds internal organs, is more dangerous than subcutaneous fat, which lies under the skin. In this side view, visceral fat presses on the diaphragm from below, which limits breathing by making it harder for the lungs (here shown in green) to expand.

Painful joints: The additional weight of excess pounds places a particular burden on the knees. In this image the arthritic damage (white) triggers pain and a decrease in the knee’s range of motion.

Torso: A cross-sectional view of an obese woman.

Depression: A dozen studies suggest that obesity can be an important cause of depression, possibly because of a combination of physiological factors and social stigma. These neurons, from the cortex of the brain, have shrunk and are misshapen.

Sexual dysfunction: Inflammatory chemicals released by fat cells may damage the branchlike nerves in the penis (above) and attack blood vessels in the clitoris (below), leading to an inability to enjoy sex.

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