The Obesity Epidemic
Keywords:
medicineAbstract
Hippocrates believed that the goal of “protecting and developing health must rank even above that of restoring it when it is impaired.” This aspiration is particularly relevant at present as escalating obesity levels challenge our health service. Obesity, defined as a body mass index (BMI) higher than 30 kg/m2, is the commonest nutritional disorder worldwide. Its medical, psychological, social and economic effects have major consequences for health, yet an effective treatment remains elusive. Genetic, environmental and behavioural factors have all been implicated in the pathophysiology of obesity, but the individual contribution of each factor is as yet unknown. This review aims to elucidate the underlying factors influencing the obesity pandemic.
References
1. World Health Organisation. Controlling the global obesity epidemic. 2003 online , available: http://www.who.int/nut/obs.htm
2. Joint WHO/FAO Expert Consultation on Diet, Nutrition and the Prevention of Chronic Diseases. Geneva, Switzerland 2002. (WHO technical report series ;916)
3. Irish Universities Nutrition Alliance North/South Ireland Food Consumption Survey: Summary Report. Food Safety Promotion Board 2001
4. Lissau I, Overpeck M, Ruan W, Due P, Holstein B, Hediger M and the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children Obesity Working Group. Body Mass
Index and Overweight in Adolescents in 13 European Countries, Israel, and the United States. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2004:158:27-33
5. National Nutrition Surveillance Centre. Annual Report: Dietary Habits of the Irish Population – Results from SLÁN. Government Publications Office,
Dublin. 2003
6. Arterburn, D, Crane P, and Sullivan S. The Coming Epidemic of Obesity in Elderly Americans. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2004:52:1907–1912
7. Breeze E, Clarke R, Shipley MJ, Marmot MG and Fletcher AE. Cause-specific mortality in old age in relation to body mass index in middle age and in old age: follow-up of the Whitehall cohort of male civil servants. International Journal of Epidemiology 2006;35:169–178
8. Roth J, Qiang X, Marba SL, Redelt H and Lowell BC. The Obesity Pandemic: Where Have We Been and Where Are We Going? Obesity Research. 2004:12 Supplement November
9. Department of Health and Children. Obesity the Policy Challenges- the Report of the National Taskforce on Obesity. Dublin: Department of Health
and Children. 2005
10. Bray GA, Bouchard C, James WPT, eds. Handbook of Obesity. Etiology and Pathophysiology. 2nd Edition. New York: Marcel Dekker, Inc., 2004.
11. Stampfer M, Hu F, Manson J et al. Primary prevention of coronary heart disease in women through diet and lifestyle. N Engl J Med. 2000:343:16–22.
12. Reilly J. Descriptive epidemiology and health consequences of childhood obesity. Best Practice & Research Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism
2005; 19: 3, 327–341
13. Wilding, J. Pathophysiology and Aetiology of Obesity. Medicine 2003: 31:4
14. Schwartz M, and Puhl R. Childhood obesity: a societal problem to solve. Obesity reviews 2003: 4, 57–71
15. Kumar and Clarke. Clinical Medicine 5th Edition online , available at http://www.kumarandclark.com/content/default.cfm accessed Dec 2005
16. Neary NM, Goldstone AP and Bloom SR. Appetite regulation: from the gut to the hypothalamus. Clinical Endocrinology. 2004:60,153–160
17. Wortley KE, del Rincon JP, Murray JD et al. Absence of ghrelin protects against early-onset obesity. J. Clin. Invest. 2005:115:3573–3578
18. Salbe AD, Nicolson M and Ravussin E. Total Energy Expenditure and the Level of Physical Activity Correlate With Plasma Leptin Concentrations in
Five-Year-Old Children. The Journal of Clinical Investigation. 1997: 99, Number 4, 592–595
19. Havel PJ. Update on adipocyte hormones - Regulation of energy balance and carbohydrate/lipid metabolism. Diabetes. 2004:53, SUPPLEMENT 1
20. Loos R and Bouchard C. Obesity-is it a genetic disorder? Journal of Internal Medicine. 2003:254: 401–425
21. Zurlo F, Larson K, Bogardus C, and Ravussin E. Skeletal Muscle Metabolism Is a Major Determinant of Resting Energy Expenditure. The Journal of Clinical Investigation. 1990:86,1423-1427
22. Moreno-Aliaga M, Santos J, Marti A and Martínez A. Does weight loss prognosis depend on genetic make-up? Obesity reviews 2005:6,155–168
23. Perusse L, Rankinen T, Zuberi A et al. The Human Obesity Gene Map: The 2004 Update‟ Obesity Research 2005:13:381-490
24. Delrue MA and Michaud JL Fat Chance: genetic syndromes with obesity. Clinical Genetics. 2004:66: 83-93
25. Liu PY, Yu-Mei Li, Miao-Xin Li, Ida Malkin, Yue-Juan Qin, Xiang-Ding Chen, Yong-Jun Liu, and Hong-Wen Deng (2004) „Lack of Evidence for a Major Gene in the Mendelian Transmission of BMI in Chinese‟ Obesity Research Vol. 12 No. 12 1967-1973
26. Neel J. Diabetes mellitus: a „thrifty‟ genotype rendered detrimental by„progress‟?. Am J Hum Genet 1962:14: 353–62.
27. Simpson S and Raubenheimer D. Obesity: the protein leverage hypothesis Obesity reviews 2005:6, 133–142
28. Rosmond R. Aetiology of obesity: a striving after wind? Obesity reviews 2004:5, 177–181
29. Prentice A and Jebb S. Obesity in Britain: gluttony or sloth? BMJ 1995:311:437-439
30. Vlad I. Obesity costs UK economy £2bn a year. BMJ 2003;327:1308 online available at doi:10.1136/bmj.327.7427.1308-d Accessed Dec 2005
31. Eurodiet Core Report (2000). Nutrition & Diet for Healthy Lifestyles in Europe :Science & Policy Implications. Crete
32. Lissner L and Heitmann BL. Dietary fat and obesity: evidence from epidemiology. Eur J Clin Nutr 1995:49: 79–90.
33. Gillman M, Rifas-Shiman S, Frazier A et al. Family dinner and diet quality among older children and adolescents. Arch Fam Med 2000:9:235-40.
34. Nolan G, Murrin C, Shiely, F et al. Consumption patterns of junk foods in young Irish people in relation to body mass index. Proceedings of the
Nutrition Society. 2004 (In press)
35. Lobstein T and Dibb S. Evidence of a possible link between obesogenic food advertising and child overweight. Obesity reviews 2005:6, 203–208
36. Veugelers P and Fitzgerald A. Prevalence of and risk factors for childhood overweight and obesity. CMAJ 2005:173(6):607-13
37. Maffeis C. Aetiology of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents. Eur J Pediatr. 2000: 159: Suppl 1 S35-S44
38. De Bourdeaudhuij I, Lefeyre J, Deforche B, Wijndaele K, Matton L and Philippaerts R. Physical Activity and Psychosocial Correlates in Normal Weight and Overweight 11 to 19 Year Olds. Obesity Research 2005:13:1097- 1105
39. Goodpaster B, Wolfe R and Kelley D. Effects of Obesity on Substrate Utilization during Exercise. Obesity Research 2002: 10 No. 7
40. Swinburn B. and Egger G. The runaway weight gain train: too many accelerators, not enough brakes. BMJ 2004:329:736–9
41. World Health Organization. Obesity: preventing and managing the global epidemic. Report of a WHO consultation. Geneva: World Health Organization, 2000. (WHO Technical Report Series 894.)
42. Jung RT. Obesity as a disease. British Medical Bulletin. 1997: 53(2):307-321
43. Wooley CS, Garner DM. Controversies in Management: Dietary treatments for obesity are ineffective. BMJ 1994;309:655-656
2. Joint WHO/FAO Expert Consultation on Diet, Nutrition and the Prevention of Chronic Diseases. Geneva, Switzerland 2002. (WHO technical report series ;916)
3. Irish Universities Nutrition Alliance North/South Ireland Food Consumption Survey: Summary Report. Food Safety Promotion Board 2001
4. Lissau I, Overpeck M, Ruan W, Due P, Holstein B, Hediger M and the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children Obesity Working Group. Body Mass
Index and Overweight in Adolescents in 13 European Countries, Israel, and the United States. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2004:158:27-33
5. National Nutrition Surveillance Centre. Annual Report: Dietary Habits of the Irish Population – Results from SLÁN. Government Publications Office,
Dublin. 2003
6. Arterburn, D, Crane P, and Sullivan S. The Coming Epidemic of Obesity in Elderly Americans. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2004:52:1907–1912
7. Breeze E, Clarke R, Shipley MJ, Marmot MG and Fletcher AE. Cause-specific mortality in old age in relation to body mass index in middle age and in old age: follow-up of the Whitehall cohort of male civil servants. International Journal of Epidemiology 2006;35:169–178
8. Roth J, Qiang X, Marba SL, Redelt H and Lowell BC. The Obesity Pandemic: Where Have We Been and Where Are We Going? Obesity Research. 2004:12 Supplement November
9. Department of Health and Children. Obesity the Policy Challenges- the Report of the National Taskforce on Obesity. Dublin: Department of Health
and Children. 2005
10. Bray GA, Bouchard C, James WPT, eds. Handbook of Obesity. Etiology and Pathophysiology. 2nd Edition. New York: Marcel Dekker, Inc., 2004.
11. Stampfer M, Hu F, Manson J et al. Primary prevention of coronary heart disease in women through diet and lifestyle. N Engl J Med. 2000:343:16–22.
12. Reilly J. Descriptive epidemiology and health consequences of childhood obesity. Best Practice & Research Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism
2005; 19: 3, 327–341
13. Wilding, J. Pathophysiology and Aetiology of Obesity. Medicine 2003: 31:4
14. Schwartz M, and Puhl R. Childhood obesity: a societal problem to solve. Obesity reviews 2003: 4, 57–71
15. Kumar and Clarke. Clinical Medicine 5th Edition online , available at http://www.kumarandclark.com/content/default.cfm accessed Dec 2005
16. Neary NM, Goldstone AP and Bloom SR. Appetite regulation: from the gut to the hypothalamus. Clinical Endocrinology. 2004:60,153–160
17. Wortley KE, del Rincon JP, Murray JD et al. Absence of ghrelin protects against early-onset obesity. J. Clin. Invest. 2005:115:3573–3578
18. Salbe AD, Nicolson M and Ravussin E. Total Energy Expenditure and the Level of Physical Activity Correlate With Plasma Leptin Concentrations in
Five-Year-Old Children. The Journal of Clinical Investigation. 1997: 99, Number 4, 592–595
19. Havel PJ. Update on adipocyte hormones - Regulation of energy balance and carbohydrate/lipid metabolism. Diabetes. 2004:53, SUPPLEMENT 1
20. Loos R and Bouchard C. Obesity-is it a genetic disorder? Journal of Internal Medicine. 2003:254: 401–425
21. Zurlo F, Larson K, Bogardus C, and Ravussin E. Skeletal Muscle Metabolism Is a Major Determinant of Resting Energy Expenditure. The Journal of Clinical Investigation. 1990:86,1423-1427
22. Moreno-Aliaga M, Santos J, Marti A and Martínez A. Does weight loss prognosis depend on genetic make-up? Obesity reviews 2005:6,155–168
23. Perusse L, Rankinen T, Zuberi A et al. The Human Obesity Gene Map: The 2004 Update‟ Obesity Research 2005:13:381-490
24. Delrue MA and Michaud JL Fat Chance: genetic syndromes with obesity. Clinical Genetics. 2004:66: 83-93
25. Liu PY, Yu-Mei Li, Miao-Xin Li, Ida Malkin, Yue-Juan Qin, Xiang-Ding Chen, Yong-Jun Liu, and Hong-Wen Deng (2004) „Lack of Evidence for a Major Gene in the Mendelian Transmission of BMI in Chinese‟ Obesity Research Vol. 12 No. 12 1967-1973
26. Neel J. Diabetes mellitus: a „thrifty‟ genotype rendered detrimental by„progress‟?. Am J Hum Genet 1962:14: 353–62.
27. Simpson S and Raubenheimer D. Obesity: the protein leverage hypothesis Obesity reviews 2005:6, 133–142
28. Rosmond R. Aetiology of obesity: a striving after wind? Obesity reviews 2004:5, 177–181
29. Prentice A and Jebb S. Obesity in Britain: gluttony or sloth? BMJ 1995:311:437-439
30. Vlad I. Obesity costs UK economy £2bn a year. BMJ 2003;327:1308 online available at doi:10.1136/bmj.327.7427.1308-d Accessed Dec 2005
31. Eurodiet Core Report (2000). Nutrition & Diet for Healthy Lifestyles in Europe :Science & Policy Implications. Crete
32. Lissner L and Heitmann BL. Dietary fat and obesity: evidence from epidemiology. Eur J Clin Nutr 1995:49: 79–90.
33. Gillman M, Rifas-Shiman S, Frazier A et al. Family dinner and diet quality among older children and adolescents. Arch Fam Med 2000:9:235-40.
34. Nolan G, Murrin C, Shiely, F et al. Consumption patterns of junk foods in young Irish people in relation to body mass index. Proceedings of the
Nutrition Society. 2004 (In press)
35. Lobstein T and Dibb S. Evidence of a possible link between obesogenic food advertising and child overweight. Obesity reviews 2005:6, 203–208
36. Veugelers P and Fitzgerald A. Prevalence of and risk factors for childhood overweight and obesity. CMAJ 2005:173(6):607-13
37. Maffeis C. Aetiology of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents. Eur J Pediatr. 2000: 159: Suppl 1 S35-S44
38. De Bourdeaudhuij I, Lefeyre J, Deforche B, Wijndaele K, Matton L and Philippaerts R. Physical Activity and Psychosocial Correlates in Normal Weight and Overweight 11 to 19 Year Olds. Obesity Research 2005:13:1097- 1105
39. Goodpaster B, Wolfe R and Kelley D. Effects of Obesity on Substrate Utilization during Exercise. Obesity Research 2002: 10 No. 7
40. Swinburn B. and Egger G. The runaway weight gain train: too many accelerators, not enough brakes. BMJ 2004:329:736–9
41. World Health Organization. Obesity: preventing and managing the global epidemic. Report of a WHO consultation. Geneva: World Health Organization, 2000. (WHO Technical Report Series 894.)
42. Jung RT. Obesity as a disease. British Medical Bulletin. 1997: 53(2):307-321
43. Wooley CS, Garner DM. Controversies in Management: Dietary treatments for obesity are ineffective. BMJ 1994;309:655-656
Downloads
Published
2006-01-01
How to Cite
Mongan, A.-M. . (2006). The Obesity Epidemic. Trinity Student Medical Journal , 7(1). Retrieved from https://ojs.tchpc.tcd.ie/index.php/tsmj/article/view/1933
Issue
Section
Reviews
License
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work’s authorship and initial publication in this journal.
Provided they are the owners of the copyright to their work, authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal’s published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository, in a journal or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
