Overweight Test

The Health Risks Involved With A High Overweight Test Result

Taking an overweight test is a good way to really check and see how healthy you actually are. A lot of people think that they are overweight but they really aren't while others clearly are overweight and unhealthy but are in denial. However, it is important to realize that just because you are not the same size as your favorite supermodel does not meant that you even should be.

Everyone has an ideal weight that they should aim to be at and everyone should have some amount of body fat. The average woman should actually have between 18 and 25 percent body fat to be considered healthy and a man should fall between 10 and 18 percent.

Calculating Your Body Mass Index

A popular overweight test to take is the Body Mass Index (BMI) test. This is used by athletes, doctors and virtually anyone that just wants to determine if they are overweight or not.

Although there are many BMI calculators that you can use where you simply add your weight and height, it is helpful to understand what exactly this overweight test is calculating to come up with your body mass index. To manually calculate your BMI you will:

Multiply your weight by 703.

Multiply your height in inches by your height in inches.

Divide the number that you got in step one by the number you came up with in step two.

Health Risks

If you have taken the overweight test and your body mass index is higher than it should be, you should know that it is not just your appearance that is suffering. You are putting your health at serious risk as well.

Type 2 Diabetes – This is a disease that is characterized by having high blood sugar levels. This is a primary cause of kidney disease, coronary heart disease, amputation, stroke and blindness. Over 85 percent of individuals that have type 2 diabetes are significantly overweight. The extra pounds cause your cells to change so they are resistant to insulin which results in having a high blood sugar level. These cells gradually begin to fail.

Stroke and Coronary Heart Disease – If your blood flow and heart are not working properly due to hardened or narrowed arteries, the disease can be deadly. Coronary heart disease can cause congestive heart failure, heart attack, angina, cardiac death or an abnormal heart rhythm. Stroke occurs when oxygen and blood are not flowing to the brain as they should which can cause death or paralysis. Being overweight causes high blood pressure and cholesterol which results in an inflammation in your blood vessels.

Cancer – If your overweight test shows a high BMI, you are at a higher risk for colon, kidney and esophagus cancer. It is also linked to breast cancer in postmenopausal women. It is suggested that gaining weight causes the fat to release certain hormones that lead to cancer.

Sleep Apnea – This is a dangerous condition where you actually stop breathing while you are sleeping for short periods of time. Sleep apnea also causes daytime sleepiness, heart failure and difficulty concentrating. This is caused by having fat stored around your neck which makes the airway significantly smaller. When this happens, the result is extreme snoring and breathing difficulties.

Osteoarthritis – This joint disorder causes the cartilage and joint bone to simply wear away. Osteoarthritis traditionally affects the lower back, hips and knees. Extra weight places a substantial amount of added pressure to the cartilage and joints and it causes higher blood levels of certain types of substances that result in inflammation.

Gallbladder Disease – If the overweight test indicates you are carrying around extra pounds, you have an increased risk for infection or inflammation of the gallbladder and gallstones. These stones are made of cholesterol and cause severe abdominal pain. Being overweight produces more cholesterol and causes you to have a gallbladder that is enlarged which does not work properly.