Christianity and the Obesity Epidemic - Examining Obesity and Its Consequences

If you did not read my first post on Christianity and the Obesity Epidemic, please do so before continuing, as it lays some critical groundwork for this one. In this second post, I explain obesity in more detail and walk through the chronic diseases associated with it. Again, my words are not meant to bring offense or shame. As Christians, we must be willing to discuss challenging issues, especially ones that can threaten our health and future ministry ability.

What is obesity?

Obesity is having an unhealthy amount of body fat and is measured by BMI, which is a ratio of height and weight: BMI = 703 x weight (lbs)/[height (in)]^2.

A BMI under 18.5 is classified as underweight; 18.5-24.99 normal, 25 to 29.99 overweight; 30 to 39.99 obese; 40 and above severe obesity. But someone with a BMI of 35-39.99 along with obesity-related chronic diseases is classified severely obese as well.

One caveat is that BMI isn’t always the best measurement of obesity, as it can be skewed by muscle mass. Because muscle weighs more than fat, people who lift weights frequently and/or are naturally more muscular may have a BMI placing them in the overweight – and even obese category – when that may not reflect reality.

Waist circumference is another method of determination, which you can read more about how to measure here. Studies show that extra weight around the waist compared to the hips increases health risks due to the visceral fat surrounding vital organs. Incidentally, the reality of ‘skinny fat’ that I mentioned last time also reflects the same health risks.

What makes obesity an epidemic?

An epidemic occurs when a disease or health condition becomes widespread alongside rapid growth. I won’t bore you with a ton of numbers, but the rates of obesity have risen year after year since the 1960s. Consider the increase in the last 20 years.

In 2000, no state was over 35% obese. But 20 years later, nearly all states are over 35% obese, 48 out of the 50 to be exact. By 2030, it’s projected that 29 states will reach 50% obesity.

Stop and think about where these numbers might be in another 20 years. It’s possible there could be another 10-15% increase especially because the trends show no signs of stopping. These stats are staggering especially when:

Millennials are already labeled ‘the most obese generation ever’ with 7 in 10 projected to be obese by ages 35-44.

Childhood obesity is also on the rise affecting 13% of kids ages 2-5; 21% ages 6-11; and 22% ages 12-19.

As obesity rates rise, so do chronic diseases that often coincide with excess weight.

Obesity-related chronic diseases

The CDC defines chronic diseases as “conditions that last one year or more and require ongoing medical attention or limit activities of daily living or both.”

Obesity heightens the risk of developing many serious medical conditions including: stroke, some cancers, depression, heart attack, sleep apnea, liver disease, high cholesterol, infertility, acid reflux, skin rashes, kidney failure, type 2 diabetes, osteoarthritis, gallstones, high blood pressure, fatty liver, atherosclerosis, weakened muscles and bones. Obese children can develop some of these conditions as well.

Look at the impact of obesity on the body.

Stroke: Obesity raises your blood pressure, which is a major precursor to stroke.

Heart disease: Hardened arteries from eating too many saturated fats, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and elevated blood sugar all contribute to increased risk of heart attack.

Cancer: Colon, endometrial, liver, cervical, and pancreatic cancers are often associated with obesity.

Diabetes: Being obese can lead to insulin resistance and full blown type 2 diabetes. One in three people are pre-diabetic and often don’t know it. If nothing about their lifestyle changes, they will develop diabetes.

Depression: Depression and obesity often coincide. Those who are depressed show a 58% higher likelihood that they will develop obesity, while obese individuals experience a 55% greater risk of depression than the general population.

Fatty liver: This condition occurs when too much fat collects around your liver (an example of the visceral fat around vital organs that I mentioned earlier). Without lifestyle change, it can become damaged and, ultimately, result in liver failure.

Gallstones: Obesity heightens risk of gallstones, which often requires surgery to remove your gallbladder.

Kidney failure: Because of the increased risk of high blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol, these conditions can contribute to eventual kidney failure.

Sleep apnea: As excess fat collects around your neck, your airways can become restricted, which causes you to stop breathing for moments at a time as you sleep. This is a serious condition that many people don’t realize they have.

Acid reflux: Obesity can cause stomach acid to flow back into the esophagus. Over time, especially if left unchecked, acid reflux can lead to esophageal cancer.

Infertility: It may be more difficult to become pregnant if you’re obese. Plus, your risk of pregnancy complications increase as well.

Muscles and bones: The excess weight from obesity can weaken muscles and bones, which raises the risk of disability. Obesity and disability are often closely associated later in life. Visit this site for more information on these and other health issues.

Clearly, obesity disrupts nearly every body system. Our bodies were not meant to carry around excess weight long-term. They just can’t withstand it.

When I was under-eating and over-exercising, the Holy Spirit convicted me that God wasn’t honored by the intentional choices I made to harm my body (1 Corinthians 10:31). Similarly, as believers, once we see the serious effects of obesity on our bodies, we should be compelled to lifestyle change. These are just some of the reasons I created Understand Healthy, which is meant to combat the rising obesity epidemic with simple, easily maintainable habits practiced over time. My minibook, Be Well, also discusses these things and provides practical wellness tips to equip you with tools to care for yourself in a God-honoring way.

Final thoughts

On average, obesity takes 7 years off a woman’s life and 6 years off a man’s life. Those who are obese and smoke may cut their lives short by 13 or more years.

If you become obese around 45-50, chances are you’ll develop some of these chronic diseases later in life, which we’ve sadly come to accept as natural, age-related health issues. BUT, as childhood obesity numbers rise and children develop obesity-related chronic diseases at younger ages, how might their life span be dramatically shortened in comparison?

Childhood obesity is sobering reality that I’ll look at more next time when I post about the cost and consequences of obesity.

Christians embodiment obesity top 5 posts