OBESITY - ADVERSE-EFFECTS ON HEALTH AND LONGEVITY

The concept of obesity implies that an individual's degree of fatness has exceeded some arbitrary limit. As a health problem obesity must be viewed in the context of the disabilities that is produces. These diabilities include: 1) physical health problems such as longevity, mechanical handicap, physiological disturbances (impaired glucose tolerance, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, etc.), clinical illness (diabetes, cholelithiasis), psychological problems. Whatever parameters are used to define it, obesity is a common problem in the United States. Survey studies indicate that about 30% of men aged 30 to 60 and 20% of women are above desirable weights. Furthermore, it has been estimated that 4.9% of adult men and 7.2% of adult women are severely obese. Obesity is not a homogenous entity. There are different forms of obesity with different implications for health. Long-term control requires basic and permanent change in eating and exercise habits. However, the prolonged use of starvation or inadequate types of hypocaloric diets can be hazardous or lethal. In the late 1970's, 58 deaths were reported to be associated with very low calorie, protein diets. One clinical characteristic was rapid, consistent weight loss up to 1 lb/day for many weeks. ECG and pathological studies revealed a pattern of cardiac changes consistent with starvation and protein- calorie malnutrition. The health disorder and pathological entities belived to be caused or associated with obesity are listed: cardiovascular disease (hypertensiver cardiovascular disease and premature coronary heart disease), diabetes, gall bladder disease, psychosocial disability and musculoskeletal disorders, liver and renal disorders, ventilatory defects, thromboembolisms, gout.