Two large-scale studies recently published underscore the health risks of obesity and overweight.

In one study, Rand Corporation researchers surveyed more than 9500 adults, inquiring about their weight, height, smoking and drinking habits, income, and quality of life. They also asked about 17 chronic health problems, such as asthma, diabetes, and heart disease. They determined that 23% of those surveyed were obese and an additional 36% were overweight.

The distribution of chronic diseases was:

• People of normal weight had an average of 1.1 chronic conditions.
• Overweight people had an average of 1.3.
• Obese people had an average of 1.7.
• Very obese people had an average of 2.

Weight was a greater risk factor than income, smoking, or drinking. The researchers suggested that public health authorities should focus on combating obesity as much as they do on smoking cessation.

The other study compiled data over a 10-year period on middle-aged women (in the Nurses' Health Study) and men (in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study). They aligned individuals' Body Mass Index (BMI) with numerous chronic diseases and found:

• People with a BMI of 35 or more were 20 times more likely to develop diabetes than their peers with a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9. (The healthy weight range is a BMI of < 25, or a range of 18.5 - 25.)
• Men and women who were overweight but not obese (BMI between 25 and 30) were significantly more likely to develop gallstones, hypertension, high cholesterol, and heart disease.

Overall, the incidence of diabetes, gallstones, hypertension, heart disease, colon cancer, and stroke increased with the degree of overweight in both men and women. Further, the risk of developing chronic diseases was evident among adults in the upper half of the healthy weight range, suggesting that maintaining a lower BMI (between 18.5 and 22) might better minimize the risk of disease.

Related information: Weight Management – basics | Benefits of weight loss | Diabetes and obesity

Sources:

• Sturm R et al. Public Health, June 2001.
• Field AE, Coakley EH, Must A, et al. Impact of overweight on the risk of developing common chronic diseases during a 10-year period. Archives of Internal Medicine, July 9, 2001;161(13):1581-1586. (Abs.)