Methodist Hospitals - Leading the way to better health.

Risks of Obesity

Why be Concerned?

• FACT: A morbidly obese person's life expectancy is reduced by 13 to 20 years when compared to a non-obese person.
• FACT: Severely overweight people are four or more times likely to die of heart disease, and two or more times more likely to die of cancer.
• FACT: 80-90% of all gastric bypass surgeries succeed in producing long-term weight loss.

Being overweight can cause a variety of problems, but the number one reason for losing excess body fat is to increase your chances of living. Research shows a morbidly obese person’s life expectancy is reduced by 13 to 20 years when compared to a non-obese person’s life span. Overweight individuals also have an increased chance of developing obesity-related health conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, respiratory and other life threatening problems. As overweight individuals age, these disease-related conditions (called co-morbid factors) are more likely to occur.

As if additional health problems are not enough, overweight people also face a variety of pressures in the workplace and socially. Taking control of your health and getting your weight down to a manageable, healthy weight is our goal. It will be yours too.

Obesity Complications

This is a partial list of complications of obesity that worsen and can become life-threatening as you age and/or your weight increases. Each person is different, and there is no way of predicting which or how many health problems each person will experience.