Lose Weight and Lower Your Risk for These 4 Health Conditions

There’s no doubt losing weight helps you feel better about the way you look. But shedding excess pounds isn’t just about looking good in your jeans — it’s also about improving your health.

When you weigh more than you should, your risk of many serious health conditions increases. At Physicians WEIGHT LOSS Centers Pompano Beach in South Florida, our providers help you get your weight under control.

Keep reading to learn more about the link between excess weight and four serious health conditions and how a personalized approach to weight loss can transform your body and safeguard your health.  

1. Type 2 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is a condition that affects the way your body processes blood sugar (glucose), with insulin resistance being a key feature. Insulin is a hormone that plays several roles. 

It acts like a key that unlocks your cells so glucose can enter and be converted to fuel or stored. Now imagine your body’s cells locking their doors to glucose despite insulin trying to get in — that’s insulin resistance.

Since the excess glucose can’t be used, it stays in your bloodstream, leading to high blood sugar levels. Over time, your body develops type 2 diabetes. 

Your weight plays a significant role in developing this condition because excess fat, especially around the abdomen, disrupts communication between insulin and your cells.

Losing weight can reboot this system. In fact, every pound of weight you lose improves your insulin sensitivity. 

2. Many types of cancer

Excess body weight is a known risk factor for many types of cancer, including breast, colon, and kidney cancer. Think of your fat tissues as not just storage centers but active participants that secrete hormones and inflammatory substances. 

Research shows these hormones and inflammatory factors create an environment that nurtures cancer cells, promoting their growth. For example, excess fat leads to higher levels of estrogen, which has been linked to an increased risk of breast cancer.

The good news is that losing weight can help. A slimmer physique not only lowers the levels of those cancer-promoting hormones but also reduces inflammation, which is associated with higher levels of cancer.

3. Metabolic disorders 

When we group heart disease, high blood pressure, and stroke under the umbrella of metabolic disorders, we’re looking at a common thread: the impact of excess weight on your cardiovascular system. 

Excess fat, particularly visceral fat around your organs, can increase your body’s resistance to insulin. This leads to high blood sugar and cholesterol levels, which both play a role in heart disease. 

What’s more? This type of fat raises your blood pressure by increasing the strain on your heart and blood vessels. The result is bad news for your vascular systems and an increased risk of death. 

When you lose the excess weight, you take the pressure off an overworked heart. Even a modest reduction in weight can help lower your blood pressure, improve cholesterol levels, and decrease the risk of plaque building up in your arteries, which contributes to heart disease and stroke. 

4. Fatty liver disease

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is often overshadowed by liver disease that’s induced by alcohol. But NAFLD has serious implications for your health, and it’s closely linked to being overweight. 

When you’re obese, your body runs out of places to store excess fat. NAFLD develops when your body starts to stash the extra fat in your liver cells. 

These fat cells negatively affect liver function and lead to inflammation. This is highly problematic because a compromised liver struggles to process fats and filter toxins from your body, setting the stage for more serious liver damage.

By losing weight, you can lower your risk of NAFLD and halt or even reverse the progression of NAFLD. This improves your liver function and reduces the risk of progressing to more severe liver diseases.

I’ve struggled to lose weight — can anything help?

Absolutely! A personalized weight-loss plan designed by our weight loss experts at Physicians WEIGHT LOSS Centers Pompano Beach helps you shed the extra pounds, lowering your risk for weight-related health conditions. 

Our team uses a patient-centered approach when designing your plan, which may include:

• Regular weigh-ins 
• Personalized counseling
• B-12 injections
• Healthy lifestyle and diet changes
• Supplements and meal replacements
• Health monitoring
• Weight loss medications 

We also offer FDA-approved semaglutide and tirzepatide for qualifying adult patients. 

Schedule an appointment online or over the phone with a provider at Physicians WEIGHT LOSS Centers Pompano Beach in South Florida to learn more!