Bariatric surgery6 min read
Health risks of obesity: complications and related diseases
Obesity is more than a question of appearance or clothing size. Excess body fat affects almost every system in the body, from blood sugar and blood pressure to joints, breathing and mood. This article explains why obesity is considered a disease, which conditions are most closely linked with it, what other complications can develop, how weight loss reduces these risks and how health is assessed before bariatric surgery.
The main points in 30 seconds
- Obesity is a chronic disease that affects metabolism, the heart and many organs.
- It is closely linked with type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.
- Joint pain, sleep apnoea, fatty liver and some cancers are more common with obesity.
- Even moderate weight loss can lower many of these risks.
- Surgery is usually considered at BMI above 40, or above 35 with related conditions.
Key facts about the procedure
- Back to work2–4 weeks
- Stay in clinic1–5 days
- Final result18–24 months
- Price
$4,800from $3,600
Why obesity is a disease
For a long time obesity was seen mainly as a result of lifestyle choices. Today health organisations treat it as a chronic disease: excess fat tissue is not a passive store of energy but an active organ that releases hormones and inflammatory substances. Over years, these changes affect metabolism, blood vessels and many organs.
Obesity also tends to progress. Once weight has been high for a long time, the body defends it through appetite and hormone changes, which is why diets alone often give only temporary results. Recognising obesity as a disease means treating it seriously and consistently, as doctors treat high blood pressure or diabetes, rather than blaming a lack of willpower.
Diabetes and metabolic syndrome
Type 2 diabetes is the condition most strongly linked with excess weight. Fat, especially around the abdomen, makes the body's cells less responsive to insulin. At first the pancreas compensates by producing more insulin, but over time blood sugar rises and diabetes develops.
Diabetes is often part of a wider cluster called metabolic syndrome: a large waist, high blood sugar, high blood pressure, raised triglycerides and low levels of protective cholesterol. Together these sharply increase the risk of heart attack and stroke. The encouraging side is that this cluster responds well to weight loss. According to health services, people at risk of type 2 diabetes may prevent or delay it by losing at least 5% to 7% of their starting weight.
Heart disease and high blood pressure
Excess weight makes the heart work harder. Blood volume increases, blood vessels stiffen and blood pressure rises. High blood pressure in turn damages the arteries and raises the risk of heart attack, heart failure and stroke.
Obesity also worsens cholesterol levels and blood sugar, which further harm the blood vessels. Some changes occur in the heart itself: the heart muscle thickens, and the risk of an irregular heartbeat grows. Health services list heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure among the main conditions linked with obesity, and losing excess weight can help lower these risk factors.
Joint problems and sleep apnoea
Every extra kilogram adds load to the knees, hips and spine. Over years this speeds up wear of the cartilage and leads to osteoarthritis, with pain and stiffness that make movement harder. Less movement then makes weight control even more difficult, creating a vicious circle.
Obstructive sleep apnoea is another common complication. Fat around the neck and throat narrows the airway during sleep, so breathing stops for short periods many times a night. The result is loud snoring, poor sleep, daytime tiredness and extra strain on the heart. Health services note that losing weight may reduce sleep apnoea or make it go away.
Other complications
Obesity is linked with many other health problems:
- Fatty liver disease: fat builds up in the liver and can lead to inflammation and scarring.
- Some cancers: health services list breast, womb and bowel cancer among cancers that are more common with obesity.
- Gallstones and reflux: both are more frequent in people with excess weight.
- Fertility and pregnancy: obesity can disturb ovulation and raises the risk of complications during pregnancy.
- Kidney disease: high blood pressure and diabetes linked with obesity can damage the kidneys.
- Mood and quality of life: low mood, anxiety and social difficulties are common and can make weight loss harder.
Not everyone with obesity develops these conditions, but the risk rises with the degree of obesity and the time it has lasted.
How weight loss reverses risks
The good news is that many of these risks decrease when weight falls. Even moderate weight loss can make a measurable difference:
- Blood sugar: losing weight improves the body's response to insulin, and in people at risk it can prevent or delay type 2 diabetes.
- Blood pressure and heart: weight loss can lower blood pressure, cholesterol and other risk factors for heart disease and stroke.
- Liver: health services note that losing at least 3% to 5% of body weight may reduce fat in the liver.
- Sleep and joints: sleep apnoea may improve or disappear, and joints carry less load.
With severe obesity, however, achieving and keeping enough weight loss through diet and exercise alone is often difficult. This is where bariatric surgery may be considered: in studies, on average, surgery leads to greater and more lasting weight loss than lifestyle changes alone, and many people with type 2 diabetes see a marked improvement. Results differ between people, and surgery works best together with long-term changes in eating and activity. The methods and their typical results are described on the bariatric surgery page.
Assessing your health at City Medical Centre
City Medical Centre works with international patients and performs sleeve gastrectomy, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, mini gastric bypass (MGB) and SADI-S. According to the bariatric surgery page, surgery is usually justified with a BMI above 40, or above 35 when there are obesity-related conditions such as type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure.
City Medical Centre does not perform gastric balloons or endoscopic procedures and does not prescribe weight-loss injections; whether a gastric band is performed at the clinic is clarified at the consultation. Before surgery, patients have blood tests and other examinations and see specialists, including a GP, endocrinologist, psychiatrist, cardiologist and, for women, a gynaecologist, so that conditions linked with obesity are identified and taken into account. Based on the results, the surgeon explains whether surgery is suitable and which method fits. A personal coordinator stays in touch from the first message to the end of recovery. The first consultation is free and can be held online; the price is named after assessment and fixed in the contract.
How recovery usually goes
- First hoursYou may sit up, stand and drink fluids
- 1–5 daysObservation at the clinic, depending on the extent of surgery
- 2–4 weeksReturn to office work; physical work after about 1.5 months
- 1–2 monthsStaged diet from liquids to solids to let the stomach adapt
- Every monthOn average 10% of excess weight lost per month
- 1.5–2 yearsFinal result, stable eating habits prevent the weight from returning
Sources
Frequently asked questions
What diseases are linked to obesity?
The main ones are type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke, osteoarthritis, sleep apnoea and fatty liver disease. Obesity is also linked with some cancers, gallstones, reflux, fertility problems and low mood.
Can losing weight reverse diabetes?
Weight loss improves the body's response to insulin. In people at risk, it can prevent or delay type 2 diabetes, and in people who already have it, blood sugar control often improves. In studies, many people with type 2 diabetes see a marked improvement after bariatric surgery, but results differ between people.
Does obesity cause joint pain?
It often contributes to it. Extra weight increases the load on the knees, hips and spine and speeds up cartilage wear, which leads to osteoarthritis. Losing weight reduces this load and can ease pain.
How does obesity affect the heart?
Excess weight makes the heart work harder, raises blood pressure, worsens cholesterol and blood sugar, and can thicken the heart muscle. Together these increase the risk of heart attack, heart failure and stroke.
How much weight loss improves health?
Even moderate weight loss helps. Health services note that losing 5% to 7% of starting weight may prevent or delay type 2 diabetes in people at risk, and losing 3% to 5% may reduce fat in the liver. Larger weight loss brings further benefits.
Have a question about your case? Get a free consultation
Message a coordinator on Telegram: we reply right in the chat, and you can send photos and questions there too.
- The first consultation is free, online consultations are available
- The doctor names the cost after the assessment, and it is fixed in the contract
- A personal coordinator guides you from the first message to recovery
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