The Obesity Paradox and Diabetes

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

The Obesity Paradox and Diabetes In Brief The obesity paradox (survival advantage in overweight/obese patients with DISEASE HEART TO PREVENT DIABETES AND CORONARY FROM RESEARCH TO PRACTICE/FOUR OPPORTUNITIES type 2 diabetes) has called into question the importance of weight loss in over- weight people with diabetes. A systematic review of weight loss studies with a minimum of 1-year outcomes in people with diabetes reported inconsistent beneficial effects of weight loss on A1C, lipids, and blood pressure. To lower the risk of cardiovascular disease, a better nutrition therapy intervention may be reducing energy intake, which may or may not lead to weight loss, and selecting cardioprotective foods in appropriate portion sizes. However, any nutrition therapy intervention must be based on lifestyle changes the person with diabetes is willing and able to make. The Obesity Paradox and Diabetes It is being called the “obesity para- to heavier patients, cardioprotective dox”: research findings that people metabolic effects of increased body Marion J. Franz, MS, RD, CDE with obesity-related illnesses and who fat, and/or beneficial effects of higher are overweight or obese have better metabolic reserves.1 outcomes, including less mortality, A U-shaped association of weight than their normal-weight peers.1 These with mortality is reported in people seemingly contradictory results have with diabetes. In a recent study,4 the also been shown to apply to people records of 106,640 people with type with acute coronary syndrome, stroke, 2 diabetes in Scotland were reviewed and diabetes.2–9 The consequences of and BMI recorded around the time obesity are clear: increased risk for of diagnosis and mortality through- diabetes, high blood pressure, heart out the next ~ 5 years was assessed. disease, stroke, and kidney disease.10 Mortality risk was higher in people So, the question of emerging interest with a BMI of 20 to < 25 kg/m2 and becomes why, then, once the disease in those with a BMI ≥ 35 kg/m2. develops, does being overweight Vascular mortality was also higher appear to be beneficial? for each 5-kg/m2 increase in BMI > Flegal et al.,1 in a systematic review 30 kg/m2 but was lower below this and meta-analysis, reported that, in level. Another study5 assessed the the general public, severe obesity was relationships between BMI and all- associated with an increased risk for cause mortality in African-American death from all causes but that lesser and white men with type 2 diabetes amounts of excess weight either did and observed a significantly higher not increase this risk or were pro- mortality risk (70%) in those with tective. They concluded, “. excess a BMI within the normal range mortality in obesity may predomi- (18.5–24.9 kg/m2) than in heavier nantly be due to elevated mortality at subjects, with a higher mortality rate higher body mass index (BMI) levels. in African Americans (95%) than in Overweight was associated with sig- whites (53%). In a study of patients nificantly lower all-cause mortality.” who developed diabetes,6 total, car- They further noted that these results diovascular, and noncardiovascular are consistent with previous findings mortality rates were higher among that have also shown lower mortal- normal-weight than among obese ity among overweight and moderately subjects. This finding was true regard- obese patients. Possible explanations less of diabetes type. Two other include earlier medical care and recent studies, Translating Research aggressive risk factor treatment given into Action for Diabetes7 and the Diabetes Spectrum Volume 26, Number 3, 2013 145 PROactive trial,8 also observed that Weight Loss and Diabetes-Related kg.24 In the trials reporting data col- participants who were of normal Outcomes lected for > 1 year, none of the average weight at the baseline examination A PubMed search was conducted to weight losses were back to baseline by or who lost weight during the trial determine the outcomes from base- the end of the studies. (PROactive) experienced higher mor- line to study completion of nutrition tality than participants who were therapy weight loss interventions in A1C results All of the studies reported the effect overweight or obese. This obesity overweight or obese adults with type 2 of weight loss on 1-year A1C values. paradox (survival advantage in obese diabetes. Research was reviewed from Improvements in A1C were reported patients with type 2 diabetes) was 1 January 2000 to 1 February 2013. Eleven randomized, clinical trials from eight of the weight loss inter- also shown to exist in patients with ventions.15,18,21,22,25 However, one of 9 with a completion rate of ≥ 70% and diabetes and cancer. Similar findings 18 12-month laboratory data reported the trials extending to 18 months had been reported in two earlier stud- reported significant improvements 11,12 were identified and are included in ies. All of the above brings into Table 1.15–27 Because the duration of in A1C at 12 months that were not question the role of weight manage- trials affects their outcomes, and to maintained to 18 months. The MED ment in people with chronic diseases, better compare outcomes among stud- reported the largest improvement in especially in people with diabetes. ies, 1-year outcomes are presented in A1C at 1 year, –1.2%,21 and the ILI the table for all trials. However, also reported the second largest, –0.64%.25 Weight Loss/Management: included are data from two trials Significant improvements in A1C were Prevention Versus Treatment reporting 18-month data,18,19 two with also reported from the use of meal of Diabetes 2-year data,23,24 and two with 4-year replacements15 and one low-fat,21 one The research results described above data.21,25–27 One trial21 did not report high-protein,22 and one high-CHO22 suggest that, perhaps, guidelines rec- the statistical significance of interven- study. At 4 years, the MED and ILI ommending weight loss should apply tion changes from baseline to study reported continued improvements primarily to prevention and not neces- end, and one trial25 reported statistical in A1C, –0.9 and –0.36%, respec- sarily to treatment of chronic diseases, significance for the intervention arm tively.21,27 Perhaps of equal importance including diabetes. Strong evidence only; however, both trials are included is that nonsignificant changes in A1C exists for the benefits of moderate in the intervention summaries. were reported from 11 weight loss 16,17,19,20,23,24 weight loss for the prevention of type Eight of the studies compared interventions at 1 year and 18 2 diabetes.13 The question becomes, varying weight loss interventions (10 from one study at 18 months. what are the benefits from weight loss different interventions),17–24 and three Also of interest, five trials com- pared weight loss interventions with as glycemic impairments progress from studies compared the intervention to 15,16,25,27 differing macronutrient percentages prediabetes to overt type 2 diabetes? usual care or to a control group. (high-MUFA vs. high-CHO,19 low- The goals of medical nutrition Weight loss interventions imple- mented in 19 study arms included CHO vs. low-fat,20 high-protein therapy (MNT) for individuals with 22,23 meal replacements (2 studies),15,17 indi- vs. high-CHO, and low-CHO diabetes include achieving and main- 24 vidualized food plans (2 studies),16,17 vs. low-fat ). All five reported that taining blood glucose levels in the one study with two group behavioral weight changes did not differ sta- normal range or as close to normal weight management arms,18 low fat tistically between arms, and weight as is safely possible, a lipid and lipo- (3 studies), 20,21,24 high monounsatu- losses ranged from 1.9 to 4.0 kg. protein profile that reduces the risk rated fat (MUFA),19 high carbohydrate Furthermore, eight of the interven- for cardiovascular disease (CVD), and (CHO) (3 studies),19,22,23 low CHO tion arms reported nonsignificant blood pressure levels in the normal (2 studies), 20,24 high protein (2 stud- changes in A1C from baseline to study range or as close to normal as is safely ies), 22,23 Mediterranean-style diet end,19,20,23,24 and only two intervention possible.13 To achieve these goals, (MED),21 and intensive lifestyle inter- arms (in one study) reported signifi- weight loss has been recommended vention (ILI).25–27 Although physical cant but modest changes in A1C.22 for all overweight or obese individu- activity was suggested or encouraged These findings support a conclusion als who have diabetes or are at risk in several studies,16,18,19,20,22 only two that a variety of eating patterns with for diabetes, with the level of evidence studies, those testing MED and ILI, differing macronutrient percentages rated A (clear evidence from well-con- included physical activity recommen- are moderately effective for weight loss ducted, generalizable, randomized, dations and measured and reported but may not improve A1C levels. 21,25,27 15,17,23,24 controlled trials that are adequately adherence. Four studies Weight loss interventions reporting improvements in A1C at 1 year had powered).14 But perhaps the benefits did not mention physical activity. weight losses of 4.8, 4.2, 3.0, 2.7, 2.2, of weight loss in the treatment of type Weight changes and 1.0 kg, with the MED (–6.2 kg, 2 diabetes need to be reexamined. An Weight losses from interventions 7.2%) and ILI (8.4 kg, 8.6%) hav- inconclusive picture emerges from ranged from 1.9 to 8.4 kg at 12 ing larger weight losses. Weight loss review of the benefits of weight loss months; 16 of the interventions15–24 interventions reporting no statistically on A1C, lipids, and blood pressure reported weight losses ranging from significant improvement in A1C at 1 in people with type 2 diabetes.
Recommended publications
  • Evaluating the Obesity Paradox in the Henry Ford Exercise Testing Project
    Diabetes Care Volume 43, March 2020 677 Seamus P. Whelton,1 Paul A. McAuley,2 Association of BMI, Fitness, and Zeina Dardari,1 Olusola A. Orimoloye,1 Clinton A. Brawner,3 Jonathan K. Ehrman,3 Mortality in Patients With Steven J. Keteyian,3 Mouaz Al-Mallah,4 and Diabetes: Evaluating the Obesity Michael J. Blaha1 Paradox in the Henry Ford Exercise Testing Project (FIT Project) Cohort Diabetes Care 2020;43:677–682 | https://doi.org/10.2337/dc19-1673 OBJECTIVE To determine the effect of fitness on the association between BMI and mortality among patients with diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We identified 8,528 patients with diabetes (self-report, medication use, or electronic medical record diagnosis) from the Henry Ford Exercise Testing Project (FIT Project). Patients with a BMI <18.5 kg/m2 or cancer were excluded. Fitness was measuredas theMETs achieved during a physician-referred treadmill stress test and categorized as low (<6), moderate (6–9.9), or high (‡10). Adjusted hazard ratios for mortality were calculated using standard BMI (kilograms per meter squared) cutoffs 1 of normal (18.5–24.9), overweight (25–29.9), and obese (‡30). Adjusted splines Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Pre- CARDIOVASCULAR AND METABOLIC RISK 2 vention of Cardiovascular Disease, Johns Hopkins centered at 22.5 kg/m were used to examine BMI as a continuous variable. School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 2Department of Health, Physical Education and RESULTS Sport Studies, Winston-Salem State University, Patients had a mean age of 58 6 11 years (49% women) with 1,319 deaths over a Winston-Salem, NC 3 mean follow-up of 10.0 6 4.1 years.
    [Show full text]
  • Obesity in Primary Care: Prevention, Management and the Paradox David Haslam
    Haslam BMC Medicine 2014, 12:149 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7015/12/149 Obesity: exploring the causes, consequences and solutions COMMENTARY Open Access Obesity in primary care: prevention, management and the paradox David Haslam Abstract Government and societal efforts to combat obesity are aimed at prevention, although there is a generation for whom excess weight is the rule rather than the exception. Although measures to prevent a worsening of the current epidemic are important, management of obesity must also be prioritised. Obesity management is beset with problems ranging from attitudinal to clinical and pharmacological, and the individualisation of therapy. Keywords: Obesity, Primary care, Obesity paradox, Obesity management, Weight Background checkout, and changing the GP incentive QOF to reward Obesity prevention has failed. If nobody in the UK gains obesity management, would have an instant beneficial another single ounce, there are enough already obese effect on the health of the Nation. Other measures will people to make epidemics of diabetes, then heart disease, take longer – the Action on Sugar campaign will spe- then premature death inevitable. The job of Primary Care cify targets for food reformulation, but will take several is to manage obesity, although this may not involve the years to make a big difference; changes to the built en- loss of a single ounce: their role is often misunderstood, vironment to promote activity might take a generation especially by departmental and Government bodies, and to have an effect. Industry, public health and Government especially by the Quality and Outcomes Framework have a major role to play, and the political power (QOF) which perversely incentivises maintaining excess wielded by the food and retail industries may thwart weight in order to bulk up the obesity register without a change.
    [Show full text]
  • The Obesity Paradox in Kidney Disease: How to Reconcile It with Obesity Management
    WORLD KIDNEY DAY MINI SYMPOSIUM ON KIDNEY DISEASE AND OBESITY The Obesity Paradox in Kidney Disease: How to Reconcile It With Obesity Management Kamyar Kalantar-Zadeh1,2,3,4, Connie M. Rhee1, Jason Chou1, S. Foad Ahmadi1,2,5, Jongha Park4, Joline L.T. Chen4 and Alpesh N. Amin5 1Harold Simmons Center for Kidney Disease Research and Epidemiology, University of California Irvine, School of Medicine, Orange, California, USA; 2Program for Public Health, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, USA; 3Department of Epidemiology, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, Los Angeles, California, USA; 4Nephrology Section, VA Long Beach Healthcare System, Long Beach, California, USA; and 5Department of Medicine, University of California Irvine, School of Medicine, Orange, California, USA Obesity, a risk factor for de novo chronic kidney disease (CKD), confers survival advantages in advanced CKD. This so-called obesity paradox is the archetype of the reverse epidemiology of cardiovascular risks, in addition to the lipid, blood pressure, adiponectin, homocysteine, and uric acid paradoxes. These paradoxical phenomena are in sharp contradistinction to the known epidemiology of cardiovascular risks in the general population. In addition to advanced CKD, the obesity paradox has also been observed in heart failure, chronic obstructive lung disease, liver cirrhosis, and metastatic cancer, as well as in elderly individuals. These are populations in whom proteinÀenergy wasting and inflammation are strong predictors of early death. Both larger muscle mass and higher body fat provide longevity in these patients, whereas thinner body habitus and weight loss are associated with higher mortality. Muscle mass appears to be superior to body fat in conferring an even greater survival.
    [Show full text]
  • I UNIVERSITY of CALIFORNIA SAN DIEGO the Weight of Medical
    UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN DIEGO The Weight of Medical Authority: The Making and Unmaking of Knowledge in the Obesity Epidemic A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology (Science Studies) by Julia Rogers Committee in charge: Professor Martha Lampland, Chair Professor Cathy Gere Professor Isaac Martin Professor David Serlin Professor Charles Thorpe 2018 i Copyright Julia Ellen Rogers, 2018 All Rights Reserved ii The Dissertation of Julia Ellen Rogers is approved, and it is acceptable in quality and form for publication on microfilm and electronically: _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ Chair University of California San Diego 2018 iii DEDICATION For Eric and Anderson iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Signature Page………………………………………………………………………………iii Dedication ............................................................................................................................... iv Table of Contents ..................................................................................................................... v List of Figures and Tables ....................................................................................................... xi Vita .......................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • The Obesity Paradox in Heart Failure Patients with Preserved Versus Reduced Ejection Fraction: a Meta-Analysis of Individual Patient Data
    International Journal of Obesity (2014) 38, 1110–1114 & 2014 Macmillan Publishers Limited All rights reserved 0307-0565/14 www.nature.com/ijo ORIGINAL ARTICLE The obesity paradox in heart failure patients with preserved versus reduced ejection fraction: a meta-analysis of individual patient data R Padwal1, FA McAlister1, JJV McMurray2, MR Cowie3, M Rich4, S Pocock5, K Swedberg6, A Maggioni7, G Gamble8, C Ariti5, N Earle8, G Whalley9, KK Poppe8, RN Doughty8 and A Bayes-Genis10 for the Meta-analysis Global Group in Chronic Heart Failure (MAGGIC) Investigators11 BACKGROUND: In heart failure (HF), obesity, defined as body mass index (BMI) X30 kg m À 2, is paradoxically associated with higher survival rates compared with normal-weight patients (the ‘obesity paradox’). We sought to determine if the obesity paradox differed by HF subtype (reduced ejection fraction (HF-REF) versus preserved ejection fraction (HF-PEF)). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A sub-analysis of the MAGGIC meta-analysis of patient-level data from 14 HF studies was performed. Subjects were divided into five BMI groups: o22.5, 22.5–24.9 (referent), 25–29.9, 30–34.9 and X35 kg m À 2. Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for age, sex, aetiology (ischaemic or non-ischaemic), hypertension, diabetes and baseline blood pressure, stratified by study, were used to examine the independent association between BMI and 3-year total mortality. Analyses were conducted for the overall group and within HF-REF and HF-PEF groups. RESULTS: BMI data were available for 23 967 subjects (mean age, 66.8 years; 32% women; 46% NYHA Class II; 50% Class III) and 5609 (23%) died by 3 years.
    [Show full text]
  • Metabolic Syndrome, Obesity Paradox and Testosterone Level Vittorio Emanuele Bianchi* Department of Endocrinology, ASUR1, Hospital of Cagli, Italy
    Metab y & o g lic o l S Bianchi, Endocrinol Metab Synd 2015, 4:2 o y n n i r d c r o o m d DOI: 10.4172/2161-1017.1000172 n e E ISSN: 2161-1017 Endocrinology & Metabolic Syndrome Research Article Open Access Metabolic Syndrome, Obesity Paradox and Testosterone Level Vittorio Emanuele Bianchi* Department of Endocrinology, ASUR1, Hospital of Cagli, Italy Abstract Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of risk factors proposed as a prevalent responsible for the development of Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Diseases (ACVD). The predominant risk factors are obesity, abdominal obesity and insulin resistance. People in middle age with MetS are at increased absolute risk for ACVD. Criticism for MetS include its imprecise in definition, its uncertain pathogenesis as a marker of ACVD risk, and questions regarding whether this “cluster” of risk factors portend risk above and beyond the its individual components. Abdominal and visceral obesity evaluated by Waist-Circumferences (WC) and Waist-Hip-Ratio (WHR) are more specific than Body Mass Index (BMI) in definition of cardiovascular risk, but the triglycerides/HDL cholesterol ratio (TG/HDL-C) is adequate and better than MetS in diagnosis cardiovascular risk. However, evidence of an obesity paradox i.e. that obesity has a protective effect in some populations led to some confusion about the role of body mass on MetS. The role of Free Fat Mass (FFM) is relevant in this context since most studies on the obesity paradox have relied on BMI rather than body composition and fat distribution. The low BMI, prevalently due to low FFM, is correlated to exercise capacity and respiratory muscle strength is inversely related with mortality rate.
    [Show full text]
  • Obesity Paradox&Rsquo
    International Journal of Obesity (2015) 39, 82–84 © 2015 Macmillan Publishers Limited All rights reserved 0307-0565/15 www.nature.com/ijo DEBATE ‘Obesity paradox’ misunderstands the biology of optimal weight throughout the life cycle JB Dixon1, GJ Egger2, EA Finkelstein3, JG Kral4 and GW Lambert1 The ‘obesity paradox’ refers to observations that run counter to the thesis that normal weight (BMI 18.5–24.9 kg/m2) provides the lowest mortality and higher weight is associated with greater mortality. We argue that the weight of lowest mortality is influenced by aging and chronic disease, with mortality advantage extending into the overweight and even class I obese ranges under some circumstances. A focus on quality nutrition, physical activity, fitness, and maintaining function in these weight ranges may be preferable to a focus on intentional weight loss, which has uncertain effects. The ‘obesity paradox’ is no ‘paradox’ if one defines and interprets ‘ideal’ weight appropriately. International Journal of Obesity (2015) 39, 82–84; doi:10.1038/ijo.2014.59 Keywords: healthy aging; reverse causation; obesity epidemic; survival advantage; body mass index The ‘obesity paradox’ assumes that being overweight or even frailty. As median life expectancy increases, so do aging-related obese, measured by body mass index (BMI) cutoffs, provides diseases, the foundations of which may have been laid down very mortality advantage compared to being ‘normal’ weight (BMI early in life (‘developmental origins of adult disease’). 18.5–24.9 kg/m2). Perhaps the most convincing data come from How do we reconcile these apparently paradoxical observa- population studies indicating that whereas obesity (BMI>30) is tions? We propose that there is no paradox.
    [Show full text]
  • Complications After Esophagectomy Are Associated with Extremes of Body Mass Index”
    356 Editorial Editorial on “Complications after esophagectomy are associated with extremes of body mass index” Erin M. Corsini, Boris Sepesi Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA Correspondence to: Erin M. Corsini, MD. Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Pickens, FCT 19.6000, Houston, TX 77030, USA. Email: [email protected]. Provenance: This is an invited Editorial commissioned by the Section Editor Shuangjiang Li (Department of Thoracic Surgery and West China Medical Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China). Comment on: Mitzman B, Schipper PH, Edwards MA, et al. Complications After Esophagectomy Are Associated With Extremes of Body Mass Index. Ann Thorac Surg 2018;106:973-80. Submitted Nov 15, 2018. Accepted for publication Nov 23, 2018. doi: 10.21037/jtd.2018.11.120 View this article at: http://dx.doi.org/10.21037/jtd.2018.11.120 There is overwhelming evidence that obesity has become increased risk in obese populations, while other authors a public health epidemic, with more than one third of have failed to demonstrate worse outcomes or, rather, have American adults classified as obese (1). While many have reported an “obesity paradox” in which mildly overweight demonstrated that obesity is a risk factor for a variety of patients experience some benefit compared to their disease processes, including hypertension, diabetes mellitus, underweight or morbidly obese counterparts (6-11). In their obstructive sleep apnea, and cardiovascular disease, there retrospective review of over 9,000 patients from the Society is increasing awareness that obesity may play a role in of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) General Thoracic Surgery complications following surgery (2-4).
    [Show full text]
  • The Hunger–Obesity Paradox: Obesity in the Homeless
    Journal of Urban Health: Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine, Vol. 89, No. 6 doi:10.1007/s11524-012-9708-4 * 2012 The New York Academy of Medicine The Hunger–Obesity Paradox: Obesity in the Homeless Katherine A. Koh, Jessica S. Hoy, James J. O’Connell, and Paul Montgomery ABSTRACT Despite stereotypes of the homeless population as underweight, the literature lacks a rigorous analysis of weight status in homeless adults. The purpose of this study is to present the body mass index (BMI) distribution in a large adult homeless population and to compare this distribution to the non-homeless population in the United States. Demographic, BMI, and socioeconomic variables from patients seen in 2007–2008 were collected from the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program (BHCHP). This population was compared to non-homeless adults from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Among 5,632 homeless adults, the mean BMI was 28.4 kg/m2 and the prevalence of obesity was 32.3 %. Only 1.6 % of homeless adults were underweight. Compared to mean BMI in NHANES (28.6 kg/m2), the difference was not significant in unadjusted analysis (p=0.14). Adjusted analyses predicting BMI or likelihood of obesity also showed that the homeless had a weight distribution not statistically different from the general population. Although underweight has been traditionally associated with homelessness, this study suggests that obesity may be the new malnutrition of the homeless in the United States. KEYWORDS Homeless, Obesity, Body mass index, Malnutrition INTRODUCTION Stereotypes and the media have generally portrayed the homeless as starving and underweight.1 However, few studies have documented their weight status or compared their weight distribution to that of the general population.
    [Show full text]
  • Impact of Obesity and the Obesity Paradox on Prevalence and Prognosis in Heart Failure
    JACC: Heart Failure Vol. 1, No. 2, 2013 Ó 2013 by the American College of Cardiology Foundation ISSN 2213-1779/$36.00 Published by Elsevier Inc. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jchf.2013.01.006 STATE-OF-THE-ART PAPER Impact of Obesity and the Obesity Paradox on Prevalence and Prognosis in Heart Failure Carl J. Lavie, MD,*y Martin A. Alpert, MD,z Ross Arena, PHD, PT,x Mandeep R. Mehra, MBBS,k Richard V. Milani, MD,* Hector O. Ventura, MD* New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Columbia, Missouri; Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Boston, Massachusetts Obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the United States and worldwide. Considering the adverse effects of obesity on left ventricular (LV) structure, diastolic and systolic function, and other risk factors for heart failure (HF), including hypertension and coronary heart disease, HF incidence and prevalence, not surprisingly, is markedly increased in obese patients. Nevertheless, as with most other cardiovascular diseases, numerous studies have documented an obesity paradox, in which overweight and obese patients, defined by body mass index, percent body fat, or central obesity, demonstrate a better prognosis compared with lean or underweight HF patients. This review will describe the data on obesity in the context of cardiopulmonary exercise testing in HF. Additionally, the implications of obesity on LV assist devices and heart transplantation are reviewed. Finally, despite the obesity paradox, we address the current state of weight reduction in HF. (J Am Coll Cardiol HF 2013;1:93–102) ª 2013 by the American College of Cardiology Foundation There are numerous adverse effects of overweightness and This paper describes the hemodynamic alterations of obesity, usually defined by body mass index (BMI) criteria, overweight/obesity and its pathological effects on arterial on general and, particularly, cardiovascular (CV) health.
    [Show full text]
  • Food Insecurity and Obesity
    Understanding the Connections: Food Insecurity and Obesity October 2015 hile all segments of the U.S. population are affected by obesity, food insecure and low-income people can be Wespecially vulnerable due to the additional risk factors associated with inadequate resources and under-resourced communities. This brief first will highlight research on food insecurity and obesity, and then explore why food insecurity and obesity can co-exist. What Does the Research Say About Food Insecurity and Obesity? The extent of research on food insecurity and obesity has grown considerably since 1995, when a leading pediatrician published a medical case report that proposed a relationship between hunger and obesity.1 At first, the relationship between food insecurity and obesity was considered counterintuitive and labeled a paradox. This was due, in part, to our limited understanding of the causes and consequences of food insecurity. But now, with a more extensive research base and comprehensive conceptual framework, researchers conclude that the “coexistence of food insecurity and obesity is expected given that both are consequences of economic and social disadvantage.”2 While food insecurity and obesity can co-exist in the same individual, family, or community, the research on whether there is a statistically significant relationship provides mixed results.3,4,5,6 A number of research studies in the U.S. and abroad have found positive associations between food insecurity and overweight or obesity. Other studies have found no relationship, or even a lower risk of overweight or obesity with food insecurity. Associations, or lack thereof, often differ by gender, age, and/or race-ethnicity.
    [Show full text]
  • Challenging the Obesity Paradox: Extreme Obesity and COPD Mortality in the SUMMIT Trial
    ERJ OPEN RESEARCH ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE E.P. BRIGHAM ET AL. Challenging the obesity paradox: extreme obesity and COPD mortality in the SUMMIT trial Emily P. Brigham 1, Julie A. Anderson 2, Robert D. Brook3, Peter M.A. Calverley4, Bartolome R. Celli 5, Nicholas J. Cowans6, Courtney Crim7, James E. Diserens6, Fernando J. Martinez8, Meredith C. McCormack1, David E. Newby9, Julie Yates7, Jorgen Vestbo 10, Tianshi David Wu 11 and Robert A. Wise 1 1Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. 2Research and Development, GlaxoSmithKline, Stockley Park, UK. 3Division of Cardiovascular Diseases, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA. 4Dept of Medicine, Clinical Sciences Centre, University of Liverpool, University Hospital Aintree, Liverpool, UK. 5Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. 6Statistics and Programming, Veramed Ltd, Twickenham, UK. 7Research and Development, GlaxoSmithKline, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA. 8Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA. 9Centre for Cardiovascular Science, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK. 10Division of Infection, Immunity and Respiratory Medicine, Manchester Academic Health Sciences Centre, The University of Manchester and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK. 11Section of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA. Corresponding author: Emily P. Brigham ([email protected]) Shareable abstract (@ERSpublications) In a population with moderate COPD, at heightened cardiovascular risk and containing a substantial proportion of individuals with BMI ⩾40 kg/m2, BMI and mortality demonstrate a U-shaped (rather than J-shaped) relationship https://bit.ly/3hDztI6 Cite this article as: Brigham EP, Anderson JA, Brook RD, et al.
    [Show full text]