Childhood obesity is a major and constant problem in the United States and this has had professionals from every stripe confused and befuddled. It certainly doesn’t help that large amounts of high fructose corn syrup are found in pretty much everything sold in the United States. But that is another issue we will not discuss today. Obese children sometimes seem like they’ve never had an honest chance at life and this feels like a sad testimony about our culture. These kids are already suffering the numerous consequences from arthritis and constant joint and back pain to Type II diabetes and the worst verbal treatment by their class peers. There is much more to this sad state of affairs, and we will mention just a few in this article.
Type II diabetes is a major problem and is a serious probability for kids, teens and adults who are obese. It makes real sense that this condition would develop. What makes this different from Type I diabetes is that it is, sometimes, preventable. Prolonged sedentary living and weight issues like obesity are two of the leading contributors to developing this disease. For those who are obese, their bodies are under a lot of extra pressure to produce more insulin. This is because there is more body there that needs to receive it. Over time the body becomes better able to resist the insulin and that is when Type II diabetes develops. Obesity also causes gender specific problems, particularly for younger girls who have gotten through puberty. For example, obese girls and women often experience menstrual irregularities. This issue is caused by the interference of the female body’s ability to produce normal hormones. This then leads to a variety of issues with the menstrual cycle. The obese condition causes the females to become predisposed to this happening. What is also commonly seen as a result of this is for the obese female to essentially become sterile if the interference is significant. After that you have to wonder what other female bodily processes are going to be impacted when there is this severe level of hormonal disruption. The human body needs its hormones to be normal in order to keep the metabolism function healthy.
As you can guess, there is enormous social stigma attached to the obese child and teen. They have a hard time even doing everyday things like getting through the school day. The effects of chronic teasing, comments and even bullying will certainly cause life-long psychological scars or even severe damage. It is also important to note that each person is going to respond to this differently. The ripple effects of being obese are huge and serious, and we seriously think many obese teens and adults may seek counseling so they can deal with the damage done.
If you are an obese adult or teen, then we urge you to talk to a responsible and informed adult about your weight condition. You should become educated about the causes of your condition. Alternatively, something can be done about it and you are never too late to try to work back toward good health.