Obesity rates, unfortunately, are on the rise. According to the United States National Institutes of Health, the obesity rate in the US has tripled in the last 60 years. Not surprisingly, the rates of diabetes have also skyrocketed over the previous few decades.
In addition to diabetes, being overweight or obese increases your risk for several severe health conditions, including cardiovascular disease, stroke, and certain cancers. Fortunately, there is an effective way to lose weight and improve your overall health.
At Extended Care Medical in Dothan, Alabama, our team offers medical weight loss services to help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Medical weight loss at Extended Care Medical is a personalized, medically supervised service that uses innovative treatments like weight loss medications to boost metabolism and suppress appetite, along with nutritional counseling and exercise guidance to help you reach your goal weight.
If you sign up for a medical weight loss journey with our team, you can expect these four long-term health benefits.
Excess weight can negatively affect your libido and self-esteem. Conversely, hormonal changes that occur with weight loss can boost your libido. Plus, the positive effects of losing weight on your self-esteem can help you feel confident in and out of bed.
Obesity can increase your risk of developing sleep apnea, a condition that causes disruptive breathing while you sleep. Excess weight can lead to fat deposits in your neck, which block your upper airway during sleep when the airway is already relaxed. Losing weight can reduce the severity of sleep apnea and improve sleep quality, giving you more energy throughout the day.
Obesity increases your risk for a host of severe and chronic health conditions. Some of these conditions include stroke, high cholesterol, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Being overweight also increases your risk of developing certain types of cancers, such as pancreatic, kidney, breast, endometrial, and liver cancer. Losing weight reduces your risk for all of these conditions.
Excess weight puts pressure on your joints and can cause aches and pains when moving around. One study found that losing just 6% of total body weight reduced knee pain for overweight older adults with osteoarthritis. Furthermore, the study found that the pressure on their knees was four times lower with each pound of weight loss.
If you’re ready to live your best life and experience benefits that range from better sex to better mobility, call Extended Care Medical to learn more about medical weight loss. You can also request an appointment online through our website.