Major Study Finds Clear & Unusual Link
A major study about obesity and pain has discovered a clear and “unusual” link to other kinds of pain far beyond what people feel in their bones and muscles.
This unusual truth about the far-reaching damage the obesity epidemic has done to our collective health via many different kinds of pain was uncovered in an analysis of more than 1 million Americans interviewed by Gallop between 2008-10….
By the numbers:
- 63 percent of the Americans surveyed by Gallop were classified as obese (25 percent) or overweight (38 percent).
- Patients in the overweight group experienced 20 percent more pain, compared to those who maintained a low or normal weight.
- The increases in pain among the obese compared to the normal weight group were horrific, topping out at a 254 percent for the heaviest “obese 3” group.
The “Unusual” Link You Feel All Over
Buried within all the numbers was an obvious and very “unusual” truth: Obesity drives many kinds of pain, not just the ones triggered largely by musculoskeletal pain.
In fact, the extent of the damage those excess pounds can wreak on our bodies may delve even deeper than we ever imagined, likely into more complex physiological processes resulting in pain and inflammation, like arthritis, and depression that contribute, for example, to lower levels of exercise.
Those extra pounds we carry over time also may have the cumulative effect of making the aging process feel far more painful than it should ever be too.
What follows are some simple and very easy steps you can take today to change your lifestyle so you’ll be better equipped to fight obesity and bring healing to the diverse bodily processes going on “under the hood” that harm us in an array of unknown ways every day (with an accent on the steady and gradual):
- Start with a small, achievable goal, like losing 10 percent of your body weight.
- Gradually change your eating habits, substituting processed, pesticide-laden foods for fresher, more natural organic foods.
- If you must eat some processed foods from a box or can, be sure to read food labels closely for all ingredients (added sugars, sodium and multi-syllabic chemicals virtually no one can pronounce).
- Take a few minutes out of each day to give your body the exercise it needs to stay healthy.
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of clean, fresh water.
