Overweight risk for sequelae much stronger?

Strong overweight: risk of secondary illnesses maybe higher than expected
Who brings too many pounds on the scales, is at risk for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. The risk increases with the weight and may even be more than 10 times higher in obesity than at normal weight. This has shown a great international meta-study.

University College London researchers looked at data from more than 120,000 people in the US and Europe with an average age of 50 years. The results of 16 studies were included in the evaluation. In questionnaires the subjects gave information about their habits. Body weight was estimated using the body mass index (BMI), which gives the ratio of weight (in kg) to height (in m squared).

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When the BMI exceeds 25, it is called overweight. Although this fixed value is controversial, it does reflect a tendency. By definition, from a BMI of 30, obesity is present. It is divided into different degrees of severity: with a BMI of 30 to 35 it is a grade 1 obesity, between 35 to 40 a second degree severe obesity and with a BMI over 40 a particularly severe third degree obesity.

The subjects were healthy at the beginning of the study. Over the course of more than 10 years, 1,627 men and women have contracted at least two of the following: cardiovascular disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes. It turned out that a too high body weight increases the risk for the complex clinical picture significantly. In overweight it was twice as high, five times in obesity and 15 times in severe second and third obesity. The connection was independent of gender, age and ethnic origin.

The increased risk was not explained by unhealthy lifestyles such as low physical activity, smoking and alcohol consumption, which are often associated with obesity. The results have an impact on the practice, read in the journal "The Lancet Public Health". Too high a body weight not only promotes the development of type 2 diabetes and vascular disease alone, but also the complex clinical picture. For example, overweight patients with vascular diseases should also be tested for diabetes. For heavyweight diabetics, physicians should be aware of cardiovascular disease. (BZfE)