The Health Effects of Obesity and being Overweight

09 April, 2021  |  Jabbar Ali - MPharm

Carrying excess weight can increase your risk for a number of health conditions, and living with these concerns can, understandably, affect your emotional wellbeing too. If this is something you've been thinking about, know that you're not alone — and there's no judgment here. At iQ Doctor, our team is here to support you with expert, evidence-based guidance as you work toward a healthier weight.

Before looking at any changes, let's take a closer look at why weight matters for your health — not to add pressure, but so you have the information you need to make confident, informed decisions.

What are the health risks of being overweight or obese?

Several health complications become more likely the more overweight or obese you are. Most of these health risks and complications are:

Obesity and high blood pressure

Also known as hypertension, high blood pressure is a medical condition in which blood flows through blood vessels with greater force; This puts a tremendous strain on the heart, much more than needed. Over time, it can damage blood vessels and cause minuscule punctures in the capillaries. Also, it raises the overall risk for the person to develop heart conditions. Left unmanaged, these heart conditions can become more serious over time, increasing the risk of heart attack, stroke, and kidney disease. The good news is that many of these risks can be reduced with the right support and changes made early on — which is exactly why understanding your risk now matters.

The link between excess weight and high blood pressure is well established. According to Public Health England, obese men are more than twice as likely to develop high blood pressure, and obese women around three times as likely, compared to people at a healthy weight. The British Heart Foundation estimates that around 31,000 circulatory disease-related deaths in the UK each year are associated with being overweight.

Obesity and Stroke Risk

Strokes are situations in which blood supply to your brain suddenly shuts off. They could be caused by many reasons, such as blockage, bursting or tearing of blood vessels, arteries in the neck, or brain. A stroke can have lasting damage to the brain tissues and leave a person paralysed. The paralysis could be partial or complete. One may even lose the ability to speak altogether. As mentioned above, a higher than average blood pressure of 120/80 mmHg is the leading cause of strokes globally.

We recommend keeping a blood pressure monitor (sphygmomanometer) at home, so you can easily check your blood pressure whenever you need to.

Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is a type of disease that happens when the blood sugar level, also called blood glucose, becomes higher than it is supposed to be. According to studies, an average of 8 out of 10 people with type 2 diabetes is obese or overweight. If the weight issue isn’t dealt with in time, eventually, high blood sugar levels can cause kidney disease, stroke, eye problems, heart disease, nerve damage and various other health issues.

If you are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, you can deal with the weight issue by losing 5% to 7% of your body weight and exercising regularly every day. This may delay or even prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes.

Diabetes has a snowball effect on other diseases mentioned below.

Obesity and Heart Disease

The term ‘heart disease’ is used as an umbrella term to describe various problems that might arise with your heart. If you suffer from heart disease, you could have a heart attack, sudden cardiac death, angina, or an abnormal heart murmur. Abnormal fat levels in your blood, having high blood pressure, or high blood glucose levels can increase your risk of developing heart disease. Fats in the blood are known as blood lipids, including LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and triglycerides.

If you manage to lose 5% to 10% of your weight, you will lower your risk factors for developing heart disease. For example, if you weigh 200 pounds, you’ll be much safer by losing as little as 10 pounds.

Losing weight can contribute to your health in various ways, such as the decreased risk of high blood pressure, lowered cholesterol levels and improved blood flow through your blood vessels. And that’s not all; your metabolic rate gets positively affected as well.

Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic syndrome is a collection of conditions that put you at an increased risk for diabetes, heart disease and stroke. This collection of conditions are:

• high blood glucose levels
• a lot of fat around your waist
• high triglyceride levels in your blood
• high blood pressure
• low amounts of HDL cholesterol in your blood.

Obesity and Fatty Liver Disease

These diseases are medical conditions in which there is a build-up of fat in your liver. Fatty liver diseases include nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). These diseases can cause extreme damage to your liver, cause liver failure and cirrhosis.

Obesity and Gallbladder Disease

Being obese or overweight can raise your risk of developing gallbladder diseases, such as cholecystitis and gallstones. The substances that make up the bile in the body can cause gallstones to create an imbalance. If your bile contains excess cholesterol, that might be a reason for the development of gallstones.

Obesity and Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is a long-lasting and common medical issue that is identified by pain, swelling and the reduced ability to move your joints. Osteoarthritis risk increases substantially if a person suffers from obesity. Osteoarthritis puts extra pressure on one’s cartilage and joints.

Obesity and Sleep Apnoea

This is a common sleep-related disorder in which the patient does not have regular breathing while sleeping. People with sleep apnea might even stop breathing entirely for short periods while sleeping. If it is left untreated, then the risk of developing other health issues increases, such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Obesity and Kidney Disease

When your kidney becomes diseased, it is damaged and can’t filter blood the way it should normally. Being overweight or obese can raise the risk of developing high blood pressure and diabetes, both of which are the most common causes of developing kidney disease. Even if you don’t suffer from high blood pressure or diabetes, being overweight or obese by itself may increase your risk of developing kidney disease.

Obesity and Cancer Risk

Being obese or overweight can increase your risk of developing certain types of cancer, including breast, bowel, womb, oesophageal, kidney, pancreatic and liver cancer. In fact, Cancer Research UK identifies overweight and obesity as the second biggest cause of cancer in the UK after smoking, responsible for more than 1 in 20 cancer cases. Cancer happens when cells in the body begin to divide and multiply without stopping, spreading into surrounding tissues to form a tumour. Excess body fat is thought to contribute to this process partly through chronic low-grade inflammation and changes in hormone levels, including insulin and oestrogen, both of which can be affected by excess weight.

Obesity and pregnancy

Being overweight or obese can raise the risk of health complications that can occur during pregnancy. Pregnant women suffering from obesity have a greater chance of the following:

• Preeclampsia: a condition where a pregnant woman has high blood pressure. This can cause serious health problems for both the baby and the mother, if not treated.
• Gestational diabetes: a type of diabetes that can develop during pregnancy, which can increase the likelihood of complications for both mother and baby.
• Needing a caesarean section: a more complicated delivery procedure, commonly known as a C-section, which can mean a longer recovery time after giving birth.

What treatment options are available to manage your weight?

If you are overweight or living with obesity, the good news is that even modest weight loss can meaningfully reduce many of the risks covered above - several of the conditions on this page note that losing just 5-10% of your body weight can lower your risk. iQ Doctor offers a range of clinically proven, prescription weight loss treatments to support you, depending on what's right for your circumstances.

Orlistat: A non-injectable option

If you are overweight or suffer from obesity and want to lose weight, Orlistat is a popularly prescribed medication that stops the body from absorbing most of the fats in the food you eat. At iQ Doctor, we sell Orlistat in its generic form and the branded version called Xenical - both work in exactly the same way.

GLP-1 Injections: Mounjaro and Wegovy

Orlistat isn't the only option. GLP-1 injections such as Mounjaro and Wegovy work differently - by reducing appetite and helping you feel fuller for longer - and tend to produce more significant weight loss for many patients. These may suit you better depending on your individual circumstances, health profile and how your body responds to treatment.

Oral GLP-1 Medication: A needle-free alternative

For patients who would prefer not to use injections, oral GLP-1 medications are also now available, offering the same active ingredient as the injectable versions in tablet form. Wegovy Oral Pill works in the same way as the injection - by reducing appetite and helping you feel fuller for longer - but is taken as a once-daily tablet rather than a weekly injection, which some patients find more convenient or simply prefer. As with all our treatments, suitability is assessed on an individual basis during your consultation.

Finding the right option for you

Every treatment works differently, and the right choice depends on factors including your BMI, medical history and personal preference - which is exactly what a clinical consultation is designed to assess. You can compare your options in detail on our Weight Loss Hub, which brings together our full range of treatment guides in one place.

Our Clinical Authors

Written by

Jabbar Ali

MPharm Clinical Lead | GPhC Registration: 2205490

Medically reviewed by

Omar El-Gohary

CEO & Superintendent Pharmacist | GPhC Registration: 2059792

This page has been written by a registered UK pharmacist and reviewed by our clinical team to ensure it is accurate, clear and reflects current clinical guidance.

Last medically reviewed: 09 April, 2021

Last updated: 13 October, 2026