Chapter 12 – Impact of Obesity During Adulthood on Chronic Disease: Diabetes, Hypertension, Metabolic Syndrome, Cardiovascular Disease, and Cancer
Questions
1. What are 4 major diseases that are more common in the obese?
2. What are the characteristics that define the metabolic syndrome?
3. How can metabolic syndrome be managed?
4. What are some of the beneficial health changes that occur when an obese person loses a modest amount of weight?
5. Although cancer risk is increased by obesity, some people have proposed that obesity itself may not be responsible. What would be an explanation for the association of cancer and obesity, if obesity was not causal?
Chapter 12 – Impact of Obesity During Adulthood on Chronic Disease: Diabetes, Hypertension, Metabolic Syndrome, Cardiovascular Disease, and Cancer
Answers
1. Diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and stroke are major diseases associated with obesity. Hypertension and metabolic syndrome are also increased.
2. Three of the five following conditions are indicative of metabolic syndrome: large waist circumference, abnormal glucose metabolism with high fasting glucose or type-2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high blood triglycerides, low HDL-cholesterol. A variety of abnormalities of other blood components may also co-occur.
3. Weight loss, even if modest, can improve the condition; life-style changes to promote weight loss are used. These changes can include dieting, increasing exercise/physical activity, and behavior modification.
4. Modest weight loss reduces progression to type 2 diabetes in those with impaired glucose tolerance, and lowers blood pressure. It also improves health in those with metabolic syndrome. The LookAHEAD trial has shown improved insulin resistance, fitness, and blood pressure and lipids as a result of significant weight loss. Blood chemistries can normalize. Weight loss may also lower cancer risk.
5. Some obese persons have low fruit and vegetable intake and are physically inactive. These factors increase cancer risk at any weight. In addition, increased concentrations of blood glucose, insulin and IGF-1, the higher bioavailability of steroid sex hormones, abnormal adipokine patterns, and chronic inflammation and oxidative stress, which are observed with obesity, are related to increased cancer risk. Possible mechanisms of action are not yet fully elaborated.
Understanding Obesity: Biological, Psychological and Cultural Influences. Edited by Sharon Akabas, Sally Ann Lederman and Barbara J. Moore. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Published 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.