Obesity

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Diseases Caused by Obesity

79.     Obesity, which has assumed pandemic proportions worldwide, is a primary cause of a multitude of illnesses which include the following: –

(i)      Syndrome X or Insulin Resistance: “Syndrome X” is a term to describe a cluster of symptoms, including high blood pressure, high triglycerides, decreased good cholesterol (HDL), increased bad cholesterol (LDL), increased ratio of total cholesterol to HDL and more importantly obesity. These symptoms tend to appear together in some individuals and indicate a pre-disposition to Type-II diabetes, raises the risk of full blown condition up to five fold. The main indicator of Syndrome X is a large potbelly. Experts estimate that up to one in five of the population has Syndrome X and Indians and Asians are genetically more prone to it. Syndrome X has also been linked with another term – “Insulin Resistance”. Insulin is the hormone responsible for getting energy in the form of glucose into our cells. A person who is insulin resistant has cells that respond slowly to action of insulin. People who are insulin resistant often have elevated triglycerides which usually coincide with low HDL. People who are obese show signs of insulin resistance more often than people who are of normal weight. Studies have shown that waist size is a good indicator of a person’s risk of insulin resistance at an early stage in the development of diabetes and heart disease. A waist circumference of less than 90 cm (35.5 inches) for men and 80 cm (31.5 inches) for women mostly excludes them from being at risk of insulin resistance. Because the symptoms of Syndrome X or insulin resistance occur in a cluster, the steps you take to bring one of the symptoms into a healthy range will likely improve the others. For example, if you are obese, simply losing 10-15% of your current body weight can bring blood pressure down and increase your cell sensitivity to insulin.

(ii)     Diabetes: Obesity, in particular, abdominal or apple shaped type is detrimental for pre-disposition of diabetes, especially males. Obese women get relative protection from diabetes-induced coronary heart diseases because of estrogen secretion till menopause sets in. Diabetes and obesity are so strongly linked that the physicians have coined a new combined term “dibesity”. Excess weight increases the body’s demand for insulin. Obese people have larger fat cells and it is believed that these do not respond well to insulin and the result is elevated blood sugar or Type-II diabetes. It is unfortunate that Indians and Asians have genetically a high degree of abdominal obesity and thus are more susceptible to diabetes than Americans or Europeans.

(iii)    Increased Cholesterol Level: People who are obese are the most likely to have high levels of cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes. All these three problems increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Obese people tend to have abnormal lipid profile disorders like high level of triglycerides, free fatty radicals, high bad cholesterol LDL which sticks to artery walls and can lead to plaque build up, clogging them overtime and leading to cardiovascular problems. In obese people, the good HDL cholesterol is also low which results in harmful higher ratio of total cholesterol to the protective good HDL cholesterol.