The main motivation of most people to control weight is to enhance their appearance. Equally important, there are many other benefits of proper nutrition and regular exercise. Weight control through reducing excess body fat plays a crucial role in maintaining good health and fighting disease. In fact, medical evidence shows that obesity is a major threat to health and longevity. (The most common definition of obesity more than 25 percent body fat for men and more than 32 percent for women)

Excess body fat is associated with major physical threats like heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. (Three out of four Americans die of either heart disease or cancer each year, according to a survey of National Health and Nutrition Examination, about 80 percent of those deaths are associated with lifestyle factors, including inactivity)

For example, if you’re obese, it takes more energy to breathe because your heart must work harder to pump blood to the lungs because of the excess fat throughout the body. Increased work load can cause your heart becomes enlarged and can lead to high blood pressure and heart rate erratic life-threatening.

Obese people also tend to have high cholesterol levels, making them more prone to arteriosclerosis, a narrowing of the arteries by plaque deposits. This becomes life threatening when blood vessels become so narrow or blocked that vital organs such as brain, heart or renal anemia. In addition, the narrowing of blood vessels forces the heart to pump harder, and blood pressure will increase. High blood pressure itself poses some health risks, including heart attack, kidney failure, and stroke. About 25 percent of all heart and vascular problems associated with obesity.

Clinical studies have found an association between excess body fat and cancer incidence. By itself, body fat storage is considered as a carcinogen (cancer-causing chemicals) in men and women. In women, excess body fat has been associated with higher rates of breast and cervical cancer, in men, the threat comes from colon and prostate cancer.

There is also a balance between blood sugar, body fat, and the hormone insulin. Excess blood sugar is stored in the liver and other vital organs, when the organs are “full,” excess blood sugar is converted into fat. As fat cells themselves become full, they tend to take less blood sugar. In some obese people, the pancreas produces more and more insulin, the body can not be used, to regulate blood sugar levels, and the whole system becomes overwhelmed. This can result in diabetes, a disease with long-term consequences, including heart disease, kidney failure, blindness, amputation, and death. Excess body fat is also linked to gall bladder disease, gastro-intestinal disease, sexual dysfunction, osteoarthritiis, and stroke.