In addition to significantly affecting a person's self-image, obesity has been associated with dramatic increases in conditions such as type 2 diabetes and asthma. Other studies have shown that being obese can be more damaging to a person's health than smoking or a drinking problem. In fact, a person who is obese often suffers from chronic health conditions usually seen in someone 20 years older!
Here are some medical conditions that are commonly caused or exacerbated by obesity:

• Coronary artery disease, or a build-up of fat and plaque in the arteries that carry blood to the heart
  
  
• Increased risk of breast, uterine, prostate and colon cancers
  
  
• Pulmonary, or breathing, difficulties, such as sleep apnea, obesity hypoventilation syndrome or asthma
  
  
• Gastrointestinal issues, such as gallbladder disease, GERD (reflux) disease, a fatty liver or hernias
  
  
• Endocrine issues, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol
  
  
• Urinary and reproductive difficulties, such as stress urinary incontinence, menstrual irregularity or infertility
  
  
• Musculoskeletal issues, such as deterioration of the knees and hips, disc herniation or chronic lower back pain
  
  
• Skin issues, which are related to complications from diabetes, such as yeast infections between skin folds

According to the American Obesity Association, obese individuals have a 50 to 100 percent increased risk of death compared to individuals of a normal weight. Obesity is reported as the cause of death for between 300,000 and 587,000 Americans each year. This substantial increase in health risks has made obesity the second leading cause of preventable death in the United States.