In spite of growing areas of hunger, malnutrition and starvation, the world is in the midst of an epidemic of obesity. Health concerns for fat don’t stop with just the heart and the digestive system. Morbid obesity is the cause of a whole range of illnesses and symptoms and a high potential for death.
For every ten pounds of additional fat over eight additional miles of blood vessels must be developed, and then the blood must be pumped through all the extra miles. This can put an insurmountable strain on the heart, leading to weakened heart muscles, poor circulation throughout the body and constant fatigue.
Fat deposits on the inside of your arteries add to the poor circulation and put additional strain on the already overworked heart. Excess body fat early in life particularly can cause loss of elasticity in blood vessels which is considered an early warning sign of heart disease.
Health concerns for fat include emotional stressors. A poor self-image in many extremely overweight people can lead to isolation, depression, and sometimes suicidal tendencies.
High blood pressure or hypertension is one of the related conditions often found with obesity. When you add high blood pressure, reduced elasticity in the blood vessels and clogged arteries, it becomes a set of symptoms usually associated with stroke.
Excess trans fats in the diet can result in reduced oxygen carrying capacity of the blood, which in turn starves the brain and other organs of the necessary blood supply to perform their functions.
Diabetes and obesity are another of the health concerns for fat.
When used in the sense of dietary fat, the picture is even grimmer. Even if the fat does not make you fat, excess amounts of certain types of fat in your diet can crease a multitude of symptoms ranging from heart disease to gout. It has long been recognized that saturated fats are not good for you, but you may cut down on saturated fat and still be in trouble because of the level of trans fats you are consuming.
Those who are concerned about fat in their diet may switch to vegetarian or even vegan meals in an effort to prevent the high level of fat in the diet. Generally a vegetarian diet combined with moderate exercise will solve both the overweight problem and the dietary fat problem. Care should be taken to ensure that adequate nutrition is provided with all types of diets.