Gender Medicine Younger women with overweight

Gender Medicine: More and more younger women overweight

07/03/2015

More and more younger women have a strong overweight (obesity). One reason for this is that women are hormonally prone to insulin resistance and weight gain at certain stages of life, such as puberty. This is what a gender doctor points out on the occasion of International Women's Day on 8 March.

Women tend to gain weight in certain stages of life
More and more younger women have a strong overweight (obesity). The lifestyle as well as environmental factors play a role, but also certain phases of life during which women are hormonally prone to insulin resistance and weight gain, such as during puberty, pregnancy or menopause. This is accompanied by the increased risk of complications such as diabetes, altered blood lipids and cardiovascular diseases. Alexandra Kautzky-Willer, Head of the Gender Medicine Unit of the MedUni Vienna, points out this on the occasion of International Women's Day on 8 March.

Abdominal and liver fat underestimated as a risk factor
In contrast to the treatment of overweight men, in particular the abdominal and liver fat is underestimated in women as a risk factor. According to the expert, the waist circumference in women is even more predictive of complications such as diabetes than in men. Therefore, it is important in obese women to think about a sugar stress test at a very early stage, especially before or during pregnancy, in order to clarify the risk of diabetes as pregnant overweight people are increasingly insulin resistant. This is also important in order to detect a possible deficiency of important vitamins or trace elements. „However, many women who are overweight are deficient in certain vitamins, such as vitamin D, but also in folic acid or iodine deficiency, which can affect embryo brain development during pregnancy, for example“, Kautzky-Willer explained

„Healthy food and more exercise“
Nevertheless, lifestyle and environmental factors play an important role in obesity. „It's always worth changing your lifestyle and switching to a healthy diet and more exercise - the sooner the better - but even with extreme overweight or early pregnancy“, so the doctor. It has been reported in recent studies that sleep deprivation, stress and shift work are a high risk for weight gain, especially in women. Kautzky-Willer explained: „Chronic stress causes complex changes in the hormone balance and especially in women often stress cravings and eating attacks that eventually lead to obesity.“

Gender segregation in prevention programs
In addition, the risk of cardiovascular disease such as heart attack or stroke, especially in women is strongly associated with obesity and depression. Obesity also increases the risk of developing high blood pressure, atherosclerosis (arteriosclerosis) or lipid metabolism disorders. To prevent this, health experts advise again and again on a healthier diet and more exercise. With prevention programs the sex separation seems to make sense. Kautzky-Willer explained: „Recent international studies have shown that gender-segregated programs show better outcomes, such as motivating overweight men to collectively and physically move in a football club.“

Lost years of life due to overweight
Excessive pounds at a young age have a particularly serious effect on both women and men. This has recently been noted by Canadian researchers from the University of Montreal after evaluating a nutritional study. According to the researchers, men between the ages of 20 and 40 have a body mass index (BMI) over 35, 8.4 years earlier than their slim peers. Women's obesity at this age costs 6.1 years of life. (Ad)