Overweight and Obesity
Being overweight is considered to be related to consuming more calories than calories used. In other words, it is related to overeating. This is not always true because overweight is also associated with certain metabolic disorders that result in weight gain. Some examples of these disorders are thyroid malfunction, other glandular problems, or certain genetic disorders.

Obesity and being overweight differ from one another in that muscular individuals may be overweight but may not be obese. Obesity is a condition in which excess body fat accumulates. Obesity is measured by Body Mass Index (BMI). A BMI between 20 and 25 is considered normal in most individuals. Being overweight with high body fat leads to numerous problems, including disorders such as coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, difficulty in ambulating, and breathing disorders.

Digestive Problems Associated with Obesity
In obesity, the metabolic rate may slow down, resulting in poor absorption of nutrients from the gastrointestinal tract. Bowels become sluggish, and this may result in constipation. Chronic constipation may be associated with straining at passing stools and engorgement of blood vessels in the rectal area, resulting in internal or external hemorrhoids. Hemorrhoids may cause irritation and/or a burning sensation in the anal area or passing of blood in the stools. Drinking enough fluids and eating vegetables may reduce this complication. In addition, incidence of colon or rectal cancers increases with obesity in both male and female populations.

Being overweight is also accompanied by poor digestion of food and having a full feeling after eating. Poor digestion may result in gas and burping. Hiatus hernia, whereby part of the stomach lies in the chest due to a defect in the diaphragm, may result in abdominal pain, gas, and heartburn. Similarly, colon polyps may develop in the lower part of the bowel due to weakness in the bowel muscles causing blood in the stools, abdominal pain, a bloated feeling, or a perforation in the bowel.

Gall bladder disease and gallstones are more common in heavy people, resulting in abdominal pain, vomiting, or jaundice that requires gall bladder surgery. Digestive problems with fats result in a fatty food intolerance due to the lack of bile salts production in the gall bladder. And heavy people also tend to have higher cholesterol and low HDL levels and develop resistance to insulin.