Why are health and obesity linked?

The effects of obesity on the body include both obvious physical changes, due to the increased mass of fatty tissue, and changes at the cellular and metabolic level due to increased production of various products by enlarged fat cells.

The physical changes caused by increased fat are behind the musculoskeletal problems suffered by overweight and obese people (increased wear and tear on joints), sleep apnoea (partly due to fatty deposits around the airway) and the psychological and social difficulties caused by altered body image and stigma.

Most other effects of overweight and obesity are due to ‘invisible’ changes such as an increase of fat in blood and an altered response to insulin. There are also indirect effects through lifestyle factors associated with obesity, such as poor diet and sedentary lifestyle, which have an independent impact on health.