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The original notion that obesity is associated with disease and premature death was obtained from insurance statistics, which have been rightfully criticized for representing selected populations. In prospective, epidemiological studies a long period of observation on a large number of subjects is needed before obesity can be recognized as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease in spite of the fact that well-known risk factors for such disease are prevalent in obesity populations. This apparent paradox may be explained by the possibility that the risk of getting cardiovascular disease is present mainly in a subgroup of the total obese population. Such a subgroup might be characterized by the distribution of adipose tissue. Indeed abdominal obesity has been demonstrated consistently to be strongly associated with risk factors for cardiovascular disease in cross-sectional investigations of older and more recent dates. Several prospective longitudinal, epidemiological studies in both men and women have shown that abdominal obesity is associated with an increased risk of getting ischemic heart disease, stroke and death, independent of the total degree of obesity. The findings from these recent prospective studies, supported by previous unanimous cross-sectional studies as well as the fact that reasonable potential explanations for the statistical associations have been suggested, now seem to allow the conclusion that abdominal obesity should even be treated when present to a very limited extent. In such subjects, exclusion of conditions complicating obesity should also be performed vigorously. Abdominal obesity can be diagnosed by very simple means: measuring the abdominal circumference in relation to hip circumference.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:Obesity and the risk of cardiovascular disease. 389 10

Long-term studies are needed to establish obesity itself as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, even though other well-known risk factors are prevalent in obese persons. It is possible that the risk for cardiovascular disease is found in a subgroup of the total obesity population. Cross-sectional studies have shown abdominal obesity to be strongly associated with risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Prospective epidemiologic studies in men and women have shown that abdominal obesity is associated with increased risk for ischemic heart disease, stroke, and death independent of the total degree of obesity. Even limited abdominal obesity should be treated and patients examined carefully for complicating conditions.
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PMID:Regional patterns of fat distribution. 406 32

Type IIB muscle fibres are among the most insulin-insensitive muscle fibres and are not adapted to oxidation of fat during muscle work. The first characteristic of this type of muscle fibre most probably reflects or contributes to further development of insulin resistance contribute to further perpetuation of obesity and to the channeling of excess free fatty acids to the liver followed by secondary deterioration of its function. The impaired functioning of the liver is epitomized, among other changes, by impairment of insulin extraction. The increasing hyperinsulinaemia is followed by inhibition of synthesis of specific proteins such as carrier proteins for transporting testosterone (sex hormone binding globulin, SHBG). This results in an increased free testosterone concentration which induces androgenization in women and may further increase insulin insensitivity in abdominal obesity in women. The poor capillarization and changed muscle morphology in spite of great interindividual variety is observed in several pathological conditions characterised by insulin sensitivity (stroke, PCO, hypertension, diabetes, obesity). It is suggested that, in addition to the previous concept of the main role of intraabdominal adipose tissue, even muscles and liver are also important organs contributing to the pathogenesis and development of the metabolic syndrome.
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PMID:Role of muscle morphology in the development of insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome. 783 Dec 32

The results of recent studies suggest that a relative hypogonadism in men is associated with several established risk factors for prevalent diseases. Therefore, we determined total and free testosterone, luteinizing hormone (LH), and sex-hormone binding globulin (SHBG) in a cohort of randomly selected men (n = 659) at 67 years of age. These data were analyzed cross-sectionally in relation to blood glucose and serum insulin, which were measured while fasting and after an oral glucose tolerance test, in addition to plasma lipids and blood pressure. The data were also analyzed in relation to impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and diabetes, which were discovered at examination or earlier diagnosis. Risk factors for the development of diabetes up to 80 years of age were analyzed with univariate and multivariate statistics. Total and free testosterone and SHBG concentrations correlated negatively with glucose and insulin values; total testosterone and SHBG, with triglycerides; and SHBG, with blood pressure (from P < 0.05 to P < 0.01). Men with IGT or newly diagnosed diabetes had higher BMI values (26.2 +/- 0.31 and 27.0 +/- 0.59 [mean +/- SE], respectively) and waist circumference (99.0 +/- 1.03 and 100.5 +/- 1.57) than nondiabetic men (BMI, 25.1 +/- 0.14; waist circumference, 95.4 +/- 0.47; P < 0.05), indicating abdominal obesity. Such men and men with previously diagnosed diabetes had, in general, lower total and free testosterone and SHBG levels, while those for LH were not different. In multivariate analyses that included BMI, waist-to-hip ratio, total and free testosterone, and SHBG, the remaining independent predictors for the development of diabetes were low total testosterone (P = 0.015) and, on the borderline, low SHBG (P = 0.053). In relation to nondiabetic men, the risk ratio for mortality, myocardial infarction, and stroke increased gradually and significantly from 1.18 to 1.68, from 1.51 to 1.78, and from 1.72 to 2.46 in men with IGT, newly diagnosed diabetes, and previously known diabetes, respectively. It was concluded that low testosterone and SHBG concentrations in elderly men are associated with established risk factors for diabetes and in established diabetes. Moreover, low testosterone levels independently predict the risk of developing diabetes. In different degrees of expression, the diabetic state predicts strongly (and gradually mortality from) myocardial infarction and stroke. It has been suggested that a relative hypogonadism might be a primary event, because other studies have shown that testosterone deficiency is followed by insulin resistance, which is ameliorated by testosterone substitution. The data suggest that the relative hypogonadism involved might be of both central and peripheral origin.
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PMID:The pituitary-gonadal axis and health in elderly men: a study of men born in 1913. 886 67

Evidence for an association between general obesity and risk of stroke is weak. However, abdominal obesity may be more closely related to stroke risk. The association of body mass index and abdominal obesity (waist/hip ratio) with stroke incidence was examined in 28,643 US male health professionals, aged 40-75 years in 1986, who had no history of cardiovascular disease or stroke. In 5 years of follow-up, there were 118 cases of stroke, of which 80 were ischemic. Compared with men in the lowest quintile of body mass index, men in the highest quintile had an age-adjusted relative risk of stroke of 1.29 (95% confidence interval 0.73-2.27). In contrast, the age-adjusted relative risk for extreme quintiles of waist/hip ratio was 2.33 (95% confidence interval 1.25-4.37). This relative risk was not substantially altered in a multivariate model including body mass index, height, and other potential risk factors. There was a weaker relation with waist circumference alone, with men in the highest quintile (> 40.2 inches) having a relative risk of 1.52 (95% confidence interval 0.82-2.82) compared with men in the lowest quintile (< or = 34.5 inches) (1 inch = 2.54 cm). The results suggest that abdominal obesity, but not elevated body mass index, predicts risk of stroke in men.
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PMID:Body size and fat distribution as predictors of stroke among US men. 895 26

The metabolic syndrome consists of a cluster of metabolic diseases which often coexist: abdominal obesity, glucoseintolerance, diabetes mellitus type II, dyslipidemia, hypertension and impaired fibrinolysis. The common pathophysiologic link of these diseases in insulin resistance. All clinical disorders of the metabolic syndrome are risk factors for the vascular system. Since several diseases are present at the same time the risk for atherosclerotic complications such as coronary artery disease and apoplexy is potentiated. As a consequence the costs for direct and indirect health care are high. Besides a genetic predisposition the metabolic syndrome is mainly caused by the typical life style in industrialized countries with high energy and fat intake, physical inactivity, alcohol consumption, smoking, and stress. Therefore, prophylaxis and therapy imply the removal of these factors. In order to be successful experienced physicians and motivated patients are prerequisites. Even more affective than therapy is prophylaxis which is, however, not established in Germany. The metabolic syndrome is up to now not identified as a major health problem neither by the medical profession nor by health insurances and politicians. An effective therapy and prophylaxis would induce far-reaching changes in our health system and diminish health costs.
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PMID:[Metabolic syndrome]. 908 43

The purpose of the present study was to delineate a health profile of professional Danish army personnel. Two-hundred twenty officers, noncommissioned officers, and gunners on active duty at Varde Barracks, housing the South Jutland Artillery Regiment and the Danish Army Artillery School, were asked about their physical and psychological health, interpersonal relations, and working conditions as well as their dietary, drinking, and smoking habits. Measurements were made of resting pulse rate, blood pressure, height, weight, waist and hip girth, and pulmonary function. The ratio of waist-to-hip girth and body mass index (BMI) were calculated. Psychological well-being was evaluated using the 12-item version of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). Psychosomatic symptoms were frequently reported, but very few of those surveyed appeared to have psychiatric disorders as measured by the GHQ. Also, somatic health problems were frequently reported, the most frequent being lower-back pain, mild chest pain, and sensory disorders. Differences in interpretation and reporting of "lasting health problems" may explain the relatively high score for this question. The interpersonal relations, both upward and downward in the hierarchy rank order, received high scores. Compared with the general population, alcohol consumption was very low, whereas smoking-in particular heavy smoking-was much more frequent among professional Danish army personnel. Lung function testing showed significantly poorer mean values of forced expiratory volume in 1st second of expiration and mean forced expiratory flow 25 to 75% of forced vital capacity among smokers compared with nonsmokers, although the mean values for the whole group of both smokers and nonsmokers were well above reference values for all lung function parameters. The frequency of moderately overweight individuals (25 < BMI < or = 30) was significantly higher among the male army personnel than in the general population, whereas this was not the case for obesity (BMI > 30). Abdominal obesity, regarded as an independent risk factor for the development of ischemic heart disease, stroke, diabetes, hypertension, and all-cause mortality, was present in 5%, and 3% belonged to the highest-risk group by having a low BMI as well as abdominal obesity.
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PMID:Health profile of Danish army personnel. 918 68

Generalised obesity is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension and premature death, but abdominal or central obesity is even more closely related to these. Diabetes causes accelerated atherosclerosis and this results in peripheral vascular and ischaemic heart disease and stroke, major causes of death in diabetics in the Caribbean. Diabetics who have abdominal obesity are therefore at increased risk for these events. 485 patients attending the Diabetes Referral Clinic at the University Hospital of the West Indies, Jamaica, were evaluated for abdominal obesity based on the ratio between their waist and hip measurements. There was an increase in the numbers of diabetics with increasing age. Abdominal obesity was significantly more prevalent among females (90%) than among males (34.9%) (mean 2 = 142; p < 0.0001), and massive obesity was detected in 31.1% of females. However, the prevalence of abdominal obesity among males and females was not significantly age-related. Given the high prevalence of obesity in this clinic population, more precise studies of abdominal obesity associated morbidity in diabetics should be undertaken.
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PMID:The age-prevalence profile of abdominal obesity among patients in a diabetes referral clinic in Jamaica. 936 94

Being overweight, especially in the abdominal region, is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, the onset of diabetes in adults, stroke, and mortality. Malnutrition in utero or early childhood may lead to fatness later in life. The authors tested the hypothesis that poor linear growth during childhood predicts fatness and the high-risk fat patterning of young Guatemalan adults. Findings are based upon the analysis of prospectively collected data on 161 male and 372 female Guatemalans measured as children during 1969-77 and remeasured as adults in 1988-89 (men and women) and 1991-94 (women only). Childhood stunting was associated with a lower body mass index (BMI) and percent body fat in men, while no association was found in women. Both male and female severely stunted children had significantly greater adult abdominal fatness, after controlling for overall fatness and confounders. The adult waist:hip ratio was increased by 0.65 in men and 0.29 in women for each height-for-age z score less at age 3. Migration to urban centers was significantly associated with a greater waist:hip ratio in severely stunted females. In a subsample of 137 women, short and thin newborns had significantly greater adult abdominal fatness compared with long and thin or short and fat newborns or children who became stunted postnatally. The adult waist/hip ratio was increased by 1.58 for each kilogram less birth weight. Findings suggest that in countries where maternal and child malnutrition exist in the context of rapid economic development and urban migration, abdominal obesity and related chronic diseases are likely to increase.
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PMID:Infant and child growth and fatness and fat distribution in Guatemalan adults. 992 63

Obesity is regarded by insurance companies as a substantial risk for both life and disability policies. This risk increases proportionally with the degree of obesity. Mortality statistics for life insurance were the earliest indicator that the cost of obesity to the individual was a decreased life span and increased illness, particularly that affecting the cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems. The prevalence of coronary heart disease rises with increases in the body mass index in both men and women. Cigarette smoking greatly augments these risks in both sexes. Hypertension and diabetes are very common in obese persons and add further to the risks of vascular disease. Abdominal obesity (when the abdominal girth measured round the umbilicus exceeds the maximum measurement round the hips) is correlated with the risk of cardiac disease and stroke, independently of bodyweight. Insurance companies consider abdominal obesity as unfavourable and rate it accordingly. Obesity (even that of moderate degree) greatly increases the chances of disability due to cardiovascular disease or musculoskeletal illness. In one study of 51 522 adult Finns, 25% of disability pensions in women were found to result directly from obesity. Obesity causes increased health expenditure, decreased life span and productivity, and premature retirement. Insurance companies are compelled to build these risks into their policies. However, because the excess mortality occurs late in mild to moderate obesity, some companies may minimise this risk for life policies that mature early.
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PMID:Obesity and insurance risk: the insurance industry's viewpoint. 1017 79


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