Weighty issue: Obesity can cause over 200 medical problems such as heart failure, cancer

While most healthy people have a little visceral fat, problems arise when it exceeds 10 per cent of total body fat. - PHOTO: ST FILE

SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/ANN): Being obese can cause a wide array of medical problems – in fact, more than 200 of them – from stroke, heart attack and dementia to diabetes and kidney disease.

But the good news is that shedding those extra kilos can reduce the risks. The extent of the benefit varies with the amount of weight lost, said Dr Tham Kwang Wei, a senior endocrinologist at Woodlands Health.