Obesity increases susceptible and mortality to H1N1 virus.

In the 2009 H1N1 pandemic medical science recognized that obesity increased the risk of contracting the virus. Tests on vaccinated obese individuals showed immunecell function at only 70% compared to normal weight individuals. Death rates in obese and morbidly obese H1N1 patients were 3 and 7.6 times the rate of normal weight patients. Research in obese mice showed a 25% mortality rate compared to zero in lean mice with similar immune deficiencies as found in humans.

Childhood obesity is a good environment for cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Researchers examined the physiological changes in extremely obese children compared to normal weight. Those overweight and obese had higher levels of oxidized LDL cholesterol (the damaging kind) and inflammatory markers which help predict the early onset of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. The most important finding was that these predictors of early disease increased steadily with increasing weight gain in children.

PositiveTip:  Low fat diets with more wholesome foods tend to help prevent weight gain along with active family activities to reduce sedentary hours.

Sleep apnea may be the result of how much fat is in your diet.

A growing body of evidence points to insulin resistance in humans as one cause of sleep apnea. When researchers fed nonobese rats a high-fat diet they developed insulin resistance and sleep apnea.  A second group of rats fed the same diet but given metformin (which increases insulin receptor sensitivity), prevented the elevated insulin levels and the sleep apnea.

PositiveTip: Choose a lowfat diet and keep the saturated fats to a minimum, especially from animal sources.

Source: http://www.nature.com/oby/journal/v15/n6/full/oby2007169a.html

Increasing body weight lowers sperm count.

A study of body weight and reproductive health found that compared to normal weight men, the overweight and obese had 10% and 20% lower sperm counts, respectively. Researchers also noted that sperm motility and vitality decreased with increasing weight. Men with zero sperm count increased nearly fourfold from 1% in normal weight to 3.8% obese men.

PositiveTip: Determine to lose weight now. Eat less processed foods and walk every chance you get.

Physical exercise may increase non- exercise calorie metabolism

Exercise researchers working with overweight and obese adults found that moderate and high intensity walking exercise increased the burning of calories during nonexercise periods.  Interestingly, this thermogenesis effect did not show up until 48 hours after the initial exercise period

PositiveTip: Be more active! It control weight by reducing stress, improving our sense of control, balances hormone levels, and burns calories preventing them from being stored as fat.

Severely obese individuals can loose weight with lifestyle modifications.

University of Pittsburg researchers studied 130 severely obese participants and found that diet combined with either initial or delayed initiation of physical activity resulted in significant weight loss one year later. Those who began the exercise immediately lost more weight at 6 months, but the delayed-exercisers almost caught up at 12 months (12 kg and 10 kg, respectively). This counters to old adage that the severely obese do not respond to lifestyle intervention. 

PositiveTip: Lifestyle interventions such as exercise and reduced-calorie diets do work!