| Obesity has emerged as a major health problem worldwide
|
| page 308 |  | | page 309 |
|
Table 21-8.
Diseases associated with obesity. |
| Body_ID: None |
| Diseases associated with obesity |
| Body_ID: T021008.50 |
| Diseases associated with obesity |
| Body_ID: T021008.100 |
| Type 2 diabetes |
| Body_ID: T021008.150 |
| Hypertension and stroke |
| Body_ID: T021008.200 |
| Dyslipidemia |
| Body_ID: T021008.250 |
| Gallstones, particularly in women |
| Body_ID: T021008.300 |
| Some cancers: breast, endometrial, ovarian, gallbladder, colon |
| Body_ID: T021008.350 |
| Respiratory disorders |
| Body_ID: T021008.400 |
| Musculoskeletal disorders (however, reduction of risk of osteoporosis) |
| Body_ID: T021008.450 |
| Psychological problems |
| Body_ID: T021008.500 |
| |
| Body_ID: T021008.550 |
Obesity is associated with an increased risk for several diseases. This is, at least partially, preventable by weight loss. (See also Fig. 20.21.)
|
| Worldwide obesity increased by more than 70% since 1980. In the USA, 61% of adults are overweight and 26% are obese (USA National Center for Health Statistics Report 2002). The main causes of this seem to be the availability of highly caloric food, and the decrease in physical activity both at work
and during leisure time. There is a genetic predisposition to obesity, although in a great majority of cases it appears to be polygenic: as many as 59 chromosomal regions were quoted to contain obesity-related genes. Also rare mutations in at least six human genes, including leptin, were found to underlie morbid obesity.
|
| Obesity is associated with an increased risk of several diseases
|
| The reason why obesity is regarded as a health problem is that it is associated with an increased risk of several diseases (Table 21.8). In particular, it is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes mellitus; the increased incidence of diabetes worldwide parallels that of obesity. Insulin resistance, which develops in obesity, is an important common denominator between obesity and diabetes (see Chapter 20). The closely associated with obesity metabolic syndrome (Chapter 17) is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. (See also clinical box on p. 206.)
|
|
