Are obese people potential killers?

In a report that turns the traditional argument regarding obesity on its head, health experts are now arguing that obese people are running the risk of affecting the health of those close to them.

With 1 in 4 us now officially diagnosed as clinically obese, more and more people are facing an increased risk of suffering with illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer. As a consequence, they stand to reduce their life expectancy by 9 years, say health experts.

However, fresh evidence serves to suggest that they are also putting the health of others around them at risk and according to doctors, these deaths are not occurring in cardiac units, but rather on our roads. They claim that a large proportion of deaths actually result from people falling asleep at the wheel of cars and lorries.

Obesity and sleep apnoea

How is this related to obesity? Well, health experts have long been attributing obesity with sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA).

In fact, OSA is now thought to be more common than was previously believed, particularly in obese people and those suffering with type 2 diabetes (1 in 4). The condition can cause some degree of snoring, choking and gasping, all of which interrupt sleep patterns, leaving the sufferer feeling tired, irritable and unable to focus.

In worst case scenarios, sufferers are known to fall asleep in charge of heavy machinery and behind the wheel.

The condition is caused by a fatty obstruction just next to airway, increasing pressure on the muscles around the area, restricting it, and causing breathing difficulties.

A recent study, published in the British Medical Journal, indicated that losing weight with a stringent, low calorie diet, was enough to significantly improve the symptoms of this condition for 26 out of 30 obese men with mild to serious OSA.