Eight characteristics of people at high risk of sudden death and the dangers of obesity

**Eight Characteristics of People Prone to Sudden Death**

Statistics show that more than 500,000 people die suddenly from heart disease in my country every year, an average of three people every minute, dying within one hour of the onset of symptoms due to heart problems, with a rescue success rate of less than 1%. Sudden death is increasingly occurring among young people. Excessive fatigue can easily lead to chronic fatigue syndrome, which manifests as metabolic disorders, nervous system dysregulation, and decreased immunity; in severe cases, it can even lead to sudden death.

[Groups at high risk of sudden death]

1. Depression: Depression and anxiety accelerate the development of cardiovascular disease and are an independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, especially myocardial infarction. Cardiovascular disease accompanied by anxiety and depression becomes an important factor in sudden death.

2. Snoring: Snoring is a sign of sleep apnea syndrome. If a sleep apnea lasts for more than 120 seconds at a time, sudden death during sleep is very likely to occur.

3. Overwork: Frequently staying up late can cause the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems to be in a state of dysfunction; irregular eating and sleeping habits can cause low blood sugar, low potassium, and electrolyte imbalance, leading to arrhythmia, which is an important cause of sudden cardiac death.

4. Staying up late: Long-term sleep deprivation can induce arrhythmia and premature cardiac contractions, leading to sudden fainting. If not treated promptly, it can easily result in sudden death. In addition, long-term sleep deprivation can cause blood clots, blocking blood vessels.

5. High stress levels: can lead to high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, and increase the risk of arrhythmia, vasospasm, and even sudden death.

6. Obesity: Cardiovascular disease is most prevalent in obese individuals. Obese people exhibit almost all of the risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Moreover, obese individuals are prone to congestive heart failure, and when combined with coronary heart disease, they are more susceptible to myocardial infarction and sudden death.

7. Prolonged sitting in front of a computer: Spending long hours online is a static activity that increases blood viscosity, potentially leading to deep vein thrombosis in the lower limbs. If the thrombus breaks off during exercise, it could cause pulmonary embolism, and in severe cases, sudden death.

8. Smoking and drinking: Smokers are three times more likely to have a myocardial infarction than non-smokers. Smoking increases heart rate and blood pressure, triggering a heart attack. Long-term alcohol consumption can also lead to heart failure and other diseases.

What health risks does obesity pose?

Obesity is a condition caused by excessive fat accumulation in the body. We often hear that obesity is the root of all diseases. Obesity not only affects physical appearance and causes inconvenience in daily life, but more importantly, it easily leads to various complications, accelerates aging, and increases the risk of death. The British Daily Mail reported on a study by researchers at Harvard University in the United States, which suggests that within the next 10 years, obesity will surpass smoking as the leading cause of cancer. Furthermore, due to the influence of obesity, the onset of some of the most common cancers is occurring 20 years earlier than before.

According to surveys, in 2013-2014, among those aged 35-46 who died from cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, 22% were in China, compared to 12% in the United States, indicating a trend of diseases affecting younger people. my country spends 300 billion yuan annually on the treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Between 2005 and 2015, diseases caused China a loss of $550 billion in productivity.

Obesity is a disease in itself. In 1997, the World Health Organization declared obesity a global epidemic. This prompted the global community, especially developed countries, to pay close attention to health management. With the continuous development of medical science, increasing medical practice has proven that obesity is a contributing factor to many chronic diseases. Therefore, the World Health Organization has listed obesity as one of the five major risk factors for human health, second only to smoking. According to the BBC website, it has now reached the point of a "serious obesity epidemic," urging governments to take action. A study by Imperial College London found that China and the United States have the largest number of obese people in the world. Specifically, China has approximately 43.2 million obese men and 46.4 million obese women, surpassing the United States to rank first globally. Experts say that obese patients face enormous health risks and also impose huge costs on healthcare systems.

In March 2015, the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) released its "Global Report on Malnutrition," which showed that over 300 million people in China were overweight or obese. Experts indicated that, given my country's current tobacco control efforts, the number of obese individuals may surpass the number of smokers in the future, potentially becoming the leading cause of cancer. In 2013, the American Medical Association officially recognized obesity as a disease. In late 2014, an epidemiological study published in the leading international medical journal *The Lancet Oncology* showed that a higher body mass index (BMI) is associated with an increased risk of 10 common cancers. For every 5 kg/m² increase in BMI from the normal range, the risk of uterine cancer increased by 62%, gallbladder cancer by 31%, kidney cancer by 25%, cervical cancer by 10%, thyroid cancer by 9%, and leukemia by 9%. Simultaneously, the overall risk of liver, colon, ovarian, and breast cancer also significantly increased.

Obese individuals often prefer high-calorie, high-animal-fat foods, while their intake of dietary fiber, vegetables, and fruits is insufficient. Combined with obesity and a lack of exercise, this creates a vicious cycle. Obesity easily leads to constipation, and chronic constipation causes toxins, including many carcinogens, to remain in the body for extended periods. Furthermore, a high-fat diet increases the secretion of bile acids in the intestines, irritating and damaging the intestinal mucosa. Prolonged exposure to this irritation and damage can easily induce intestinal-related cancers. Additionally, the pancreas digests fat; if a person frequently consumes high-fat foods, depriving the pancreas of proper rest, it inevitably increases the burden on the pancreas, potentially leading to pancreatic cancer over time.

Obese individuals are prone to endocrine and metabolic diseases. Obesity leads to metabolic and endocrine abnormalities, often causing a variety of illnesses. Abnormal glucose metabolism can cause diabetes, abnormal lipid metabolism can cause hyperlipidemia, and abnormal nucleic acid metabolism can cause hyperuricemia. Firstly, diabetes is also a contributing factor to the increased incidence of pancreatic cancer, and obesity is a significant cause of diabetes. Type 2 diabetic patients generally lose the ability to regulate the release of insulin from the pancreas, resulting in consistently high insulin levels, which promotes the growth and spread of tumor cells in the pancreas, increasing the likelihood of pancreatic cancer. Secondly, obese individuals have increased adipose tissue, leading to increased oxygen consumption and a greater workload on the heart, causing myocardial hypertrophy, especially increasing the burden on the left ventricle. Over time, this can easily induce hypertension. Lipid deposition in the arterial walls can also narrow and harden the blood vessels, increasing the risk of coronary heart disease, angina pectoris, stroke, and sudden death. Statistics show that obese individuals have twice the incidence of cerebral embolism and heart failure, twice the incidence of coronary heart disease, and 2 to 6 times the incidence of hypertension compared to those of normal weight. They also have approximately 4 times the incidence of diabetes. Thirdly, due to hyperinsulinemia, obese individuals experience increased endogenous triglyceride synthesis, leading to the accumulation of triglycerides in the liver and the formation of fatty liver. Compared to normal-weight individuals, obese individuals have higher cholesterol levels in their bile acids, exceeding the solubility in bile. Therefore, obese individuals are prone to a high proportion of cholesterol gallstones. Reports indicate that approximately 30% of highly obese patients undergoing surgery also have gallstones. Gallstones are more common in obese women over 40 years of age; obese women are 4 to 6 times more likely to develop gallstones than women of normal weight. Fourthly, obesity is also a risk factor for breast cancer patients. Experimental data shows that, especially in postmenopausal women around 50 years of age, for every 10% increase in weight, the probability of developing breast cancer increases approximately 1.5 times. In addition, obesity is more closely related to the incidence of endometrial cancer. Studies have shown that the risk increases threefold for those who are 9-20 kg overweight and tenfold for those who are more than 20 kg overweight.