While maintaining a healthy body weight is important no matter how old you are, it becomes exceeding critical after you pass over the age of 50. Keeping your weight under control is one of the best things you can do to live a longer and happier life.

It is not unusual to allow your weight to slowly add on as you get older, while it is also normal to have had a weight problem your entire life. However, being overweight puts you at a much higher health risk for a variety of diseases. Here is a look at some of the reasons why.

Diabetes is a major health problem that is clearly linked to body weight. Overweight people are much more likely to develop type 2 diabetes. Losing weight can allow diabetics to see an improvement in blood sugar shortly after losing even a couple pounds. Having diabetes also increases your risk of developing heart disease and cancer.

Heart disease is the biggest killer in the United State, and the American Heart Association estimates that someone dies approximately every 33 seconds from a heart attack.

Half of adults also have hypertension, and these are both tied to being overweight. The more weight you have, the harder your heart needs to work.

A poor diet can also cause other heart-related issues like arteriosclerosis, and higher cholesterol, triglycerides, and homocystine. People who lose weight will often see a drop in their blood pressure, reducing risks.

Osteoporosis is another major problem, especially for women. It can lead to bone fractures and spinal vertebrae collapsing. Losing weight may help prevent the disease by relieving pressure on the bones and joints. It can also help with back problems, since for every 10 pounds of weight you add to your frame your muscles have to compensate by exerting up to 50 more pounds of pressure.

Another big killer is cancer, and its rates continue to climb. Being overweight may not directly cause cancer, but overweight women have a higher frequency of breast, cervical, and ovarian cancers. Men eating high fat diets have higher rates of prostate cancer.

Preventing disease is only part of living longer; you also have to keep up your mind and your body. Of all the people that lived to be 100 or older, none were overweight, and all were normal or below normal in body weight.

Keeping weight down can even improve your sex life. The better you feel about yourself, the more you will enjoy having sex. Even losing some of your excess weight can make you feel better about yourself.

All in all, keeping an ideal body weight will help you feel better and live longer. This does not mean that you have to starve yourself or look like a skeleton with skin on. Your doctor will be able to advice you of specific weight loss tactics to help you shed the extra pounds. He or she can also give you a realistic weight loss goal that matches up with your individual health and body type. A doctor should always be consulted before making any drastic changes in your routine.