People who are overweight are more likely to develop health problems. If you are overweight, you'd be putting yourself at risk for a wide array of medical conditions, including diabetes, heart disease and stroke, certain types of cancer, gout, and gallbladder disease. Aside from these, your being weight can also cause you to have trouble sleeping, particularly sleep apnea, and osteoarthritis. You also run a high risk of falling into depression and experiencing tiredness all the time, not to mention developing a small ego and very little self-respect and self-confidence.

It is important to take a closer look at the health risks for the overweight to help you gain a clearer perspective of the problems that are in store for you if you fail to take action to lose weight the right way as soon as possible.

The first on the list is diabetes. The most common type of diabetes to hit people who are overweight is type 2 diabetes, which is known in the medical world as non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and is known to reduce your body's capability to control its blood sugar. In the United States of America, type 2 diabetes is one of the leading causes of kidney disease, heart disease, stroke, and early death. The bad news for you is, people who are overweight like you are twice as likely to develop type 2 diabetes as people who are not.

Heart disease and stroke are common health problems for people who are overweight and are the major causes of disability and death in the country. People who are overweight usually have high blood pressure, not to mention dangerously high levels of cholesterol and blood fats, which can lead to heart disease and stroke. Some overweight people experience angina or chest pain due to a decreased amount of oxygen into the heart before heart disease and stroke sets in; others suffer from sudden death without any sign or symptom.

If you are overweight, you also run the risk of contracting certain types of cancer. If you're a woman, these types of cancer include cancer of the uterus, cervix, ovary, breast, colon, and gallbladder. If you're a man, these types of cancer include cancer of the prostate, colon, and rectum.

Gout is a joint disease that is common among people who are overweight. It is caused by alarmingly high levels of uric acid found in the blood. The uric acid forms into crystal masses or solid stone which will then be deposited in the joints, causing the sufferer to feel extreme pain. Gout may disable you from walking. Another disease that hits the joints of overweight people is osteoarthritis. It usually affects knee, hip, and lower back joints due to the extra pressure brought about by the body's extra weight.

People who are overweight usually complain of difficulty in sleeping. Sleep apnea is a common sleeping disorder found in overweight people, and it causes them to stop breathing in short intervals and snore heavily when they are sleeping.

You should do your best to counter these health risks for the overweight. Seek help from your doctor; ask advice for an effective diet and exercise program now.