Research shows that as your weight increases, so does your risk for the following health conditions:

Coronary artery disease — Coronary artery disease (CAD), also called heart disease, is a condition in which plaque builds up inside the arteries that supply your heart muscle with oxygen-rich blood. When plaque builds up in the arteries, the condition is called atherosclerosis.

Plaque is made up of fat, cholesterol, calcium, and other substances found in the blood. When your coronary arteries are narrowed or blocked, oxygen-rich blood can't reach your heart muscle. This can cause a heart attack.

CAD is the most common type of heart disease. It's the leading cause of death in the United States for both men and women. Lifestyle changes, medicines, and medical procedures can effectively prevent or treat CAD in most people.

Source: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/Cad/CAD_WhatIs.html

Type 2 diabetes — Type 2 diabetes is a lifelong disease marked by high levels of sugar (glucose) in the blood. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes.

Diabetes can lead to serious problems with your eyes, kidneys, nerves, heart, blood vessels, and other areas in your body. In general, complications include:

• High blood pressure
• Damage to blood vessels that supply the legs and feet (peripheral vascular disease)
• Stroke
• High cholesterol
• Nerve damage, which causes pain and numbness in the feet, as well as a number of other problems with the stomach and intestines, heart, and other organs
• Foot sores or ulcers, which can result in amputation
• Worsening of eyesight or even blindness due to diabetic retinopathy (eye disease)
• Macular edema
• Cataracts
• Glaucoma
• Kidney disease and kidney failure (diabetic nephropathy)

Other complications include:

• Problems with blood flow leading to erectile dysfunction
• Infections of the skin, female genital tract, and urinary tract
• Cancer (endometrial, breast, and colon)

High blood pressure — Before you realize anything is wrong, high blood pressure can permanently damage your heart, brain, eyes, and kidneys. High blood pressure can often lead to heart attack and heart failure, stroke, kidney failure, and other health consequences.

Source: http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=2152
 
High cholesterol — Cholesterol is a soft, fat-like, waxy substance found in the bloodstream and all the body’s cells. Cholesterol is a normal and important part of a healthy body because it's used for producing cell membranes and some hormones, and it serves other necessary bodily functions. But too much cholesterol in the blood is a major risk for heart disease (which leads to heart attack) and stroke.  

Stroke — Stroke is a disease that affects the arteries leading to and within the brain. It is the no. 3 cause of death in the United States, behind diseases of the heart and cancer. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts. When that happens, part of the brain cannot get the blood (and oxygen) it needs, so it starts to die.

Source: http://www.strokeassociation.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3030066

Liver disease —Liver disease is caused by the buildup of excess fat in the liver cells. It is normal for your liver to contain some fat. But if fat accounts for more than 10% of your liver’s weight, then you have a fatty liver and you may develop more serious complications. A fatty liver may not cause damage, but sometimes the excess fat leads to inflammation of the liver. This condition, called steatohepatitis, does cause liver damage. An inflamed liver may become scarred and hardened over time. This condition, called cirrhosis, is serious and often leads to liver failure.

Source: http://www.liverfoundation.org/education/info/fattyliver/

Sleep apnea — Sleep apnea is a common disorder which causes one or more pauses in breathing or shallow breaths during sleep. Breathing pauses can last from a few seconds to minutes. They often occur from 5 to 30 or more times an hour. Typically, normal breathing starts again, sometimes with a loud snort or choking sound. You often move from a deep sleep into light sleep when your breathing pauses or becomes shallow. This results in poor quality sleep and you feel tired during the day. Sleep apnea is one of the leading causes of excessive daytime sleepiness.

Untreated sleep apnea can increase:
The risk for high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, obesity, and diabetes
The risk for, or a worsening of, heart failure
The likelihood of irregular heartbeats
The chance of having work-related or driving accidents

Source: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/SleepApnea/SleepApnea_WhatIs.html

Osteoarthritis — Osteoarthritis is a type of arthritis caused by the breakdown and eventual loss of cartilage in one or more joints. Osteoarthritis is also known as degenerative arthritis. Among the over 100 different types of arthritis conditions, osteoarthritis is the most common, affecting over 20 million people in the United States. Osteoarthritis is mostly related to aging. However, obesity causes osteoarthritis by increasing mechanical stress on the cartilage. In fact, next to aging, obesity is the most powerful risk factor for osteoarthritis of the knees. The early development of osteoarthritis of the knees among weight lifters is believed to be due partly to their high body weight.

Source: http://www.medicinenet.com/osteoarthritis/article.htm

Source: www.cdc.gov/obesity/causes/health.html

What’s your exercise and heart disease IQ?
There’s a lot to know about physical activity and heart health. Read each statement and decide whether it is true or false. Then check your answers on the opposite page. You might be surprised at what you learn!

1. Regular exercise can reduce my chances of getting heart disease.
2. Most people get enough exercise from their normal daily routine.
3. I don't have to train like a marathon runner to become more fit.
4. Exercise programs take a lot of time to be effective.
5. People who need to lose weight are the only ones who benefit from regular exercise.
6. Any exercise will give me the same benefits.
7. I don’t need to worry about exercising as I get older.
8. I can get hurt or injured when I exercise.
9. I should consult a doctor before starting a physical activity program.
10. People who have had a heart attack should not start exercising.

Exercise and heart disease IQ quiz results:

1. Regular exercise is extremely important. You are twice as likely to develop heart disease if you are inactive. Other risk factors for heart disease include smoking, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, and being overweight.
2. Most people do not get enough exercise from their daily routine, unless they have a physically strenuous job. For healthy adults, the ideal is 30 minutes of physical activity a day.
3. That’s right! Low- to moderate-intensity activities, such as walking, yard work, housework, and dancing, can have both short- and long-term benefits.
4. Well, not really! It’s best to have 30 minutes at a time to exercise, but if you don’t, try to find two 15-minute or three 10-minute periods to exercise. At the very least, fit in more activity by getting up from your desk and walking more at the office or by parking farther away from work or the store. You can also walk around the house during TV commercials.
5. Regular physical activity gives you more energy, reduces stress, and helps you sleep. It also helps lower blood pressure and improves blood cholesterol levels. Physical activity helps tone muscles and burns calories. It’s not just for people who want to lose weight.
6. Regular, brisk, and sustained exercise for at least 30 minutes three to four times a week, such as brisk walking, jogging, or swimming, can improve the efficiency of your heart and lungs and burn off extra calories. Other kinds of activity — like yoga or stretching — can increase flexibility, build muscle strength, and relieve stress.
7. Regular physical activity in older people increases their capacity to do everyday activities. Older people benefit from exercise just as young people do.
8. The most common risk in exercising is injury to the muscles and joints. Such injuries are usually caused by exercising too hard for too long, particularly if you have been inactive. To avoid injuries, build up your level of activity gradually and listen to your body for aches and pains.
9. Ask your doctor before you start or increase your physical activity if you have a medical condition such as high blood pressure, have pains or pressure in your chest and shoulder, feel dizzy or faint, get breathless after mild exertion, or have not been physically active.
10. Regular exercise can help reduce your risk of having another heart attack. People who exercise regularly after they have had a heart attack improve their chances of survival as well as how they look and feel. If you have had a heart attack, consult your doctor to be sure you are following a safe and effective exercise program that will help prevent heart pain and further damage from overexertion.

Source: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute