obestity
...ting and 22 percent abdominal pain. Obese individuals were at significantly higher risk than normal weight people for bloating, upper abdominal pain, frequent vomiting and diarrhea. At the other end of the spectrum, underweight people (BMI less than 18.5) were five times more likely to have early satiety. "The relationship between BMI and GI symptoms is strong, but this does not definitively establish that obesity causes the symptoms," says G. Richard Locke, III, M.D., a Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist and one of the study’s authors. "It is possible that the type of food or eating patterns of obese people are involved. The epidemic of obesity also means we will likely see an increase of GI symptoms in the general population If you’re overweight or obese with a Body Mass Index (BMI) over 26 here’s another reason to lose weight: obesity may increase your risk of several cancers. BMI is a measurement physicians use to determine healthy or unhealthy weight. The February issue of Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource explains the strongest connections between a person’s weight and risks for cancer: Breast: After menopause, obese women have one and one-half times the risk of developing breast cancer as do women of a healthy weight. Uterine lining (endometrium): Obese women have two to four times the risk of developing endometrial cancer as do women of a healthy weight. Kidney: Obese women have two to four times the risk of developing kidney cancer as do wome...