The Health Risk of Obesity—Better Metrics Imperative

Obesity has increased worldwide; is a major risk factor for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, sleep apnea, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, osteoarthritis, and other ailments; and has been associated with disability, mortality, and enormous health costs (1, 2). Despite these clear adverse c...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2013-08, Vol.341 (6148), p.856-858
Main Authors: Ahima, Rexford S., Lazar, Mitchell A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biomedical materials
Body fat
Body mass index
Body size (biology)
Cardiovascular diseases
Diabetes
Disease risks
Diseases
Fats
Health
Health risk assessment
Liver
Metabolic diseases
Metric system
Mortality
Obesity
PERSPECTIVES
Risk analysis
Survival
Type 2 diabetes mellitus
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Summary:Obesity has increased worldwide; is a major risk factor for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, sleep apnea, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, osteoarthritis, and other ailments; and has been associated with disability, mortality, and enormous health costs (1, 2). Despite these clear adverse consequences of obesity, some studies have suggested that obesity as defined by body mass index (BMI) improves survival under certain conditions (3-8). Here, we discuss the controversies surrounding the "obesity-mortality paradox" and offer potential mechanisms to explain the effects of obesity on health.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.1241244