Obesity and Related Health Conditions

What is obesity?

Obesity is a term that is used to refer to having so much body fat that your health is in danger. The measurement, Body Mass Index is a means for determining how much body fat you have. Check your BMI Now. Having too much body fat can lead to serious health comorbidities such as the following: type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, arthritis, sleep apnea, and stroke. The location of where you carry your body fat may be as important as how many extra pounds you have. People who carry too much fat around the middle, rather than around the hips, are more likely to have health problems. Consequently, measurement of your Waist-to-hip ratio is important. An increased waist-to-hip ratio or waist circumference is associated with increased risk for obesity-related health conditions. If the ratio in males is greater than 1, and in females is greater than .8 that qualifies as a risk factor. Or, if the waist circumference for males is greater than 40 inches and for females greater than 35 inches, it's a risk factor.

What causes obesity?

When you take in more calories than you use/burn, you gain weight. How you eat, how active you are, and other things affect how your body uses calories and whether you gain weight. Obesity also has a genetic predisposition for some people.  If your family members are obese, you may have inherited a tendency to gain weight.  In addition, there is an environmental and social element to obesity.  Today we have fast food restaurants at our disposal in addition to serving large portions that tend to help us overeat, thus leading to high calorie intake.  Our busy lives make it harder to plan and cook healthy meals, because our work schedules, long commutes, and other commitments cut into the time we have for exercise.  Moreover, the friends and family that we socialize with also helps to form our eating and lifestyle habits, which can lead to obesity.

What are comorbidities?

Overweight and obesity are known risk factors for many health problems (comorbidities). These include:

  • High Blood Pressure / Hypertension
  • High Blood Cholesterol
  • Heart Disease
  • Type II Diabetes
  • Respiratory Disease, Asthma, and Bronchitis
  • Gallbladder Disease
  • Heart Burn and Reflux Disease
  • Sleep Apnea
  • Osteoarthritis and Joint disease
  • Cancers (breast, colorectal, kidney, gallbladder, uterine)
  • Pregnancy Complications
  • Menstrual irregularities
  • Stress incontinence
  • Venous Status disease
  • Depression
  • Psychological Disorders

Weight loss surgery dramatically improves your life by helping to eliminate or lessen the effects of multiple comobidities that frequently occur with obesity.  Evidence reveals that over 90% of comorbidities are improved or resolved with weight loss surgery.

Evidence reveals that over 90% of comorbidities are improved or resolved with weight loss surgery.  

N=104
1 year post-op

Number Prior to Surgery

% Worse

% No Change

% Improved

% Resolved

Osteoarthritis

64

2

10

47

41

Hypercholesterimia

62

0

4

33

63

GERD

58

0

4

24

72

Hypertension

57

0

12

18

70

Sleep Apnea

44

2

5

19

74

Hypertriglyceridemia

43

0

14

29

57

Peripheral Edema

31

0

4

55

41

Stress Incontinence

18

6

11

39

44

Asthma

18

6

12

69

13

Diabetes

18

0

0

18

82

  Average

 

1.6%

7.8%

35.1%

55.7%

CO-MORBIDITIES REDUCED BY GASTRIC BY-PASS SURGERY

90.8%
Improved or Resolved

Schauer, P.R. et al. Outcomes After Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass for Morbid Obesity. Annals of Surgery. 232: 4 (515-529); 2000.

In relationship to Type II Diabetes, the evidence in support of bariatric surgery for Type II Diabetes continues to mount. Various studies have shown:

  • Diabetes completely disappears or treatment (medicines, insulin) is no longer needed. In studies measuring for “resolution or improvement,” the number rose to 86% of patients.
  • For some patients, diabetes disappears almost immediately, within days of surgery. Others saw blood sugar levels begin to fall soon after surgery, becoming completely normal within a year.
  • 92% reduction in deaths from diabetes-related causes.

Other Research

  • 86% of diabetes resolved or improved
  • 70% of hyperlipidemia improved
  • 78.5% of hypertension resolved improved
  • 83.6% of sleep apnea resolved or improved
  • 400% Reduced incidence of cancer (2.03% vs. 8.49%)

Buchwald H, Avidor Y, Braunwald E, et al. Bariatric Surgery – A Systematic Review of the Literature and Meta-analysis. Journal of the American Medical Association, October 13, 2004 – Vol. 292, No. 14.

Economic Impacts of Obesity

In addition to health impacts of obesity, there are economic impacts of obesity as well.  Obesity and their associated health problems have a significant economic impact on the U.S. health care system (USDHHS, 2001). Medical costs associated with overweight and obesity may involve direct and indirect costs (Wolf and Colditz, 1998; Wolf, 1998). Direct medical costs may include preventive, diagnostic, and treatment services related to obesity. Indirect costs relate to morbidity and mortality costs. Morbidity costs are defined as the value of income lost from decreased productivity, restricted activity, absenteeism, and bed days. Mortality costs are the value of future income lost by premature death.  More and more employers today are providing coverage for bariatric surgery because the return on investment for weight loss surgery exceeds the cost of caring for their employees with multiple, complex comorbidities.    

As you can see, Barrington Bariatric Center is here to help you achieve a healthier, long lasting life!  Call us today to help you CHANGE YOUR LIFE!  For other questions about obesity and comorbidities, please email us at: yourpathway@barringtonbariatriccenter.com.

This information was obtained from the NIH, CDC, and Weight Control Information Network.