Research shows that being overweight is harming our health in ways we might not expect.
1. Being overweight is linked to certain cancers.
2. Excess pounds can lead to pregnancy complications.
3. Your weight can affect your sleep.
4. Being overweight is linked to brain tissue loss.
5. Carrying extra weight can stress your joints and lead to osteoarthritis.
6. Your liver could be at risk.
7. Obesity is linked to infertility.
Three more reasons to think thin. 
Many of us struggle with our weight and know that those extra pounds can take a toll on our health. Studies have long shown that being overweight (having a body mass index [BMI] of 25 to 29.9) or obese (having a BMI of 30 or higher) can lead to diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, and other serious health issues. (BMI is a measure of body fat based on your height and weight.) But have you heard that carrying excess weight can also affect your sleep, your brain, your fertility, and more? Here's a look at seven ways that your health could be affected.
1. Being overweight is linked to certain cancers.
In 2009, a report by The World Cancer Research Fund and The American Institute for Cancer Research found that excess body weight increases the risk of cancers of the esophagus, pancreas, kidney, gallbladder, breast, and colon. While it's not known exactly how being overweight increases the risk for cancer, it could be that fat cells release hormones that affect cell growth. Also, eating or physical activity habits that may lead to being overweight may also contribute to cancer risk.
2. Excess pounds can lead to pregnancy complications.
Women who are overweight or obese before becoming pregnant face higher risks for themselves and their babies. These risks include gestational diabetes (high blood sugar during pregnancy); pre-eclampsia (very high blood pressure during pregnancy); birth defects, especially of the brain and spinal cord; stillbirth; premature birth; and babies who are large for their gestational age. Women of normal weight who gain excess weight during pregnancy may also face some of these same risks.
3. Your weight can affect your sleep.
People who are overweight often have more fat stored around their neck, which can make their airway smaller. That can lead to a condition called sleep apnea, in which a person stops breathing for short periods of time at night. The signs of sleep apnea include snoring/choking, fatigue, insomnia, daytime sleepiness, and not feeling refreshed after sleeping. If left untreated, sleep apnea can increase your risk for heart disease and stroke.
4. Being overweight is linked to brain tissue loss.
In a study in the journal Human Brain Mapping, researchers found that elderly people who were obese had 8 percent less brain tissue than elderly people of normal weight. The researchers said that loss of tissue puts people at greater risk of dementia (memory loss and intellectual disability) and other diseases that harm the brain.
5. Carrying extra weight can stress your joints and lead to osteoarthritis.
Being overweight is a risk factor for osteoarthritis, a condition in which the cushioning (cartilage) between the bones wears away. As osteoarthritis gets worse, the cartilage disappears and bone rubs on bone. The first National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found that obese women had nearly four times the risk of osteoarthritis in the knees as compared to women who weren't obese. Obese men had nearly five times the risk of nonobese men.
6. Your liver could be at risk.
Even if you don't drink, you could develop fatty liver disease. This disease occurs when fat builds up in the liver cells and injures or causes inflammation in the liver—which can lead to severe liver damage or even liver failure. People who have diabetes or prediabetes (high blood sugar levels) are more likely to have fatty liver disease than people without these conditions. And people who are overweight are more likely to develop diabetes.
7. Obesity is linked to infertility.
For men, obesity has been linked to low testosterone levels. A recent study in the journal Diabetes Care found that 40 percent of obese participants had testosterone readings that were lower than normal. For women, obesity can result in irregular menstrual cycles, which can make it more difficult to get pregnant. Even in women who ovulate normally, obesity can make it more difficult to get pregnant. In one study of women with normal ovulation, women who were obese were 26 percent less likely to become pregnant than normal-weight or overweight women.
Three more reasons to think thin.
1. Doctors often don't bring up a patient's weight issues.
Many doctors have little training in helping patients manage their weight and either don't bring up the issue or offer only a diagnosis. A report by the STOP Obesity Alliance found that only 39 percent of obese adults had ever been told by a healthcare provider that they were obese. For children, the same holds true. Only one in three overweight children was diagnosed as such by his or her pediatrician, according to a study by the MetroHealth System and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland. If you're concerned about your weight or your child's weight, talk to your doctor about what you can do.
2. Obesity can lead to longer and more frequent hospital stays.
A 2009 study by sociologists at Purdue University found that people who are obese stay in the hospital at least one to one-and-a-half days longer than people of normal weight. The sociologists found that disease was the main reason for the extra time in the hospital, and that the longer someone had been obese, the longer his or her hospital stay was.
3. Soda is linked to obesity.
Adults who drink one or more sodas or other sugar-sweetened beverages per day are 27 percent more likely to be overweight or obese, according to a study by the California Center for Public Health Advocacy and the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. This was true regardless of income or ethnicity. The study also found that 41 percent of children aged 2 to 11 are drinking at least one soda or sugar-sweetened beverage every day, as are 62 percent of adolescents.
