How can excess fat affect my health?

Dr. Vonda Wright, MD

Orthopedic Surgery

Fat is not just hanging around innocently. It is a metabolically active organ producing hormones and chemicals that negatively affect our body's function and can make disease worse. Fat produces hormones that cause high blood sugar (resistin), high blood pressure (angiotensinogen), inflammation, and infiltrates that clog every tissue from blood vessels to muscles and tendons.

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Important: This content reflects information from various individuals and organizations and may offer alternative or opposing points of view. It should not be used for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. As always, you should consult with your healthcare provider about your specific health needs.

Obesity

If you have too much body fat, you are obese, just like over 70 million other Americans. It happens because you eat more calories than you use, and your body converts the excess to fat. There are lots of reasons that this can happen. Our lifestyle may lack exercise, we are given portions that are too big and too caloric when we eat, and some of us are just more efficient genetically at converting food into fat.

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