disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, low good cholesterol or low hdl cholesterol, diabetes mellitus, very important risk factor for heart disease and very closely correlated with increasing degrees of obesity. obesity can damage a person's joints and affect their ability to move. the large, weight bearing joints in the lower extremities-- the hips, knees, ankles, etc. those joints have a much higher likelihood of developing severe and premature degeneration because of the extra stress associated with obesity. mary pat anderson: i have very bad knees, had knee surgery about 15 years ago, and found myself sitting in my classroom and sending students to get books and papers and so forth, and just hardly moving at all, which just continues the cycle of gaining. even if i wasn't eating as much as i used to, i wouldn't lose because i wasn't moving at all. obesit also linked to certain types of cancer. older women have a higher risk of breast cancer if they're very heavy. they have a higher risk of endometrial cancer and their obesity may be, in some way, related to colon cancer, as well,