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Obesity co‐morbidities and the obesity paradox
Author(s) -
Haslam David
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
practical diabetes
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.205
H-Index - 24
eISSN - 2047-2900
pISSN - 2047-2897
DOI - 10.1002/pdi.1759
Subject(s) - medicine , obesity , weight loss , diabetes mellitus , surprise , type 2 diabetes , disease , obesity paradox , risk factor , intensive care medicine , endocrinology , overweight , psychology , social psychology
Abstract It is no surprise that obesity is associated with co‐morbidities including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obstructive sleep apnoea and cancer, and that weight loss confers protection against their onset. Therefore it is counter‐intuitive that, although obesity is implicated in their cause, its presence seems to be protective against mortality once some of these conditions have occurred. ‘The idea that a known risk factor somehow transforms into a “protective” agent after an occurrence of a vascular clinical event is both surreal and troubling’. 1 This phenomenon has been termed the ‘obesity paradox’ by many authorities. This article discusses the link between obesity and various long‐term illnesses, assesses the evidence surrounding the obesity paradox, and considers whether weight reduction, or the alternative – obesity‐related risk management while weight is maintained – is an appropriate goal in the elderly and in the presence of certain medical conditions. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons. Practical Diabetes 2013; 30(3): 132–135