Your weight, your waist size, and the amount of weight gained since your mid-20s can have serious health implications. These factors can strongly influence your chances of developing the following diseases and conditions:
Cardiovascular disease
Heart attack
Stroke
Diabetes
Cancer
Arthritis
Gallstones
Asthma
Cataracts
Infertility
Snoring
Sleep apnea
Because most adults between the ages of 18 and 49 gain 1-2 pounds each year, being proactive in preventing weight gain should be a priority. Gaining weight as you age increases the chances of developing one or more chronic diseases.
In the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, middle-aged women and men who gained 11 to 22 pounds after the age of 20 were up to three times more likely to develop heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and gallstones than those who gained five pounds or less. Those who gained more than 22 pounds had an even higher risk of developing these diseases.
Another analysis of Nurses’ Health Study data found that adult weight gain, especially after menopause, can increase the risk of postmenopausal breast cancer. Encouragingly, for women who had never used hormone replacement therapy, losing weight after menopause—and keeping it off—cut their risk of post-menopausal breast cancer in HALF!