Obesity may be obvious on the outside and it’s not hard to point out all the external health issues that are a direct result of being overweight, but it poses just as many problems to the inside of the body. In today’s post, we are going to follow up on how excess fat can wreak havoc on our organs.
Skin: As the largest organ in the body, the skin is no doubt greatly affected by unnecessary fat tissue. When a person is obese, their hormones have a tendency of being irregular, which causes a thickening and darkening of the skin, also known as acanthosis nigricans. Stasis dermatitis is redness and irritation, which is caused when the skin stretches and swells too much. The lack of blood flow caused by additional fat can lead to poor vein function. Most often found in the ankles, this poor vein function can eventually lead to ulcers. While we often think of having healthy glowing skin as a cosmetic issue, the skin actually serves as a gatekeeper for infectious agents, and if it’s not in good shape, then its job as gatekeeper will be lacking. In return an obese person is at higher risk for diseases. At first it may appear that it’s simply an overstretched layer of skin, but because the body mass and skin elasticity don’t match up, an obese person is susceptible to serious illness because that outer layer of skin serves as a barrier to the bloodstream.
Colon: The majority of cancer researchers haven’t found a strong correlation between cancer and obesity, with the exception of colon cancer. Colorectal cancer has risen with shocking frequency in both men and women who are classified as obese. Experts have guessed that there are two reasons for this. The first is believed to be a diet that is high in processed red meats, which is a typical factor among patients suffering from colon polyps, an early indicator of colon cancer. The second is believed to be the result of elevated levels of insulin in the blood. Researchers believe that there is a tight bond between a person’s digestive system and immune-related disorders and considering 70 percent of the body’s bacteria lives in the gut, the side effects of obesity may explain this relationship.
So, while it’s always nice to look good on the outside, it’s even more important to have organs that are running efficiently and are fine-tuned on the inside. You take care of your car by providing the proper maintenance and amounts of fuel to keep it running smoothly, so why not give your body that same respect?
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