Overweight Costs Are Burdensome Excess pounds are costly to the health of individuals and to the Nation. The board's estimate does not include psychosocial costs ranging from lowered self-esteem to eating disorders to depression. Risk increases with higher relative weight. Rates of hypertension and diabetes are nearly triple for people 20 percent or more overweight. Metabolic and functional alterations associated with overweight may lead to increased rates of gout, gallbladder disease, colorectal cancer, hip fracture, and osteoarthritis.
Obese women are at increased risk of endometrial and ovarian cancer.
Overweight in childhood increases morbidity and mortality in adulthood. One of the biggest risk factors for children is having an overweight parent. This influence is strongly genetic and partially environmental, for example, in modeling, the availability and preparation of food, and physical activity patterns and habits. Americans seem to know they should maintain a healthy weight, and many undertake weight-loss efforts. Although perceptions of weight are culturally induced and may be unrelated to actual overweight, as many as 58 percent of adults report themselves overweight.