▎ WuXi AppTec content team editor
China is gradually becoming a "fat" powerhouse, with overweight and obesity increasing rapidly over the past 40 years.
The "Report on the Nutrition and Chronic Disease Status of Chinese Residents (2020)" shows that the proportion of chinese adults (≥ 18 years old) is 34.3% and the proportion of obesity is 16.4%; among children and adolescents aged 6-17, the proportion of overweight is 11.1%, and the proportion of obesity is 7.9%; the rate of overweight and obesity of children under 6 years old is 6.8%, and the obesity rate is 3.6%.
Being overweight and obese are not only harmful to health, increasing the risk of multiple diseases, but also have an impact on longevity.
Recently, a new study published in JAMA Network Open, a sub-journal of the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that obese middle-aged people, or even just overweight middle-aged people, are more likely to suffer from chronic diseases and have shortened their life expectancy by nearly 5 years compared with people with a healthy weight range.
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The new study included data from a total of 29,621 participants who had an average age of 40 when they joined the study, with 57.1 percent male.
The researchers counted the participants' height, weight information to calculate their body mass index (BMI) and divided the participants into 5 groups:
Underweight group (BMI<18.5 kg/m2);
Normal body weight group (18.5 kg/m2≤ BMI≤24.9 kg/m2);
Super-recombinant (25.0 kg/m2≤ BMI≤29.9 kg/m2);
Class I and II obesity groups (30.0 kg/m2≤ BMI≤39.9 kg/m2);
Class III obesity group (BMI≥40 kg/m2). Grade III obesity is sometimes referred to as "morbid obesity" (pathological obesity).
In addition, the researchers also collected lifestyle information such as smoking status, alcohol consumption, and physical activity of the participants; health-related indicators such as blood pressure, blood sugar, and blood lipids; disease information on chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease; and death information during follow-up.
The researchers found that 46.0 percent of the participants were normally weighted, 39.6 percent were overweight, 11.9 percent were grade I and II obese, and 2.0 percent and 0.4 percent were underweight and grade III obesity.
Compared with the participants in the normal weight group, the hypercomparabent, grade I and II obesity groups, as well as the participants in the grade III obesity group, the prevalence of diabetes, hypertension and hyperlipidemia was significantly increased, and it increased with weight gain.
Specifically, the prevalence of diabetes was 1.6%, 1.9%, 2.9% and 3.2% in the normal weight group, super-recombinant, grade I and II obesity groups, and grade III obesity, respectively; the prevalence of hypertension was 33.0%, 53.6%, 70.4% and 93.6%, respectively; and the prevalence of hyperlipidemia was 12.9%, 18.7%, 22.5% and 18.4%, respectively.
During the 40-year follow-up period, a total of 13,932 (47.0%) of the participants died. Compared with the average age of death of participants in the normal weight group, the overweight and obese people died earlier and lived a shorter lifespan, especially in the class III obese group.
The mean age of death for participants in the normal weight group was 82.3 years, supercompositive was 82.1 years, the I and II obesity groups were 80.8 years old, and the grade III obesity group was 77.7 years old.
The study concludes by highlighting that overweight and obesity are recognized risk factors for a variety of diseases, including cardiovascular disease, certain types of cancer, and other health problems. A growing body of research shows that people who are overweight and obese are not only more likely to get sick, but also live shorter. In addition, the age of chronic diseases can also be advanced by several years, resulting in survival with the disease and spending the rest of their lives under the torment of multiple diseases.
The researchers note that as people age, they often gain weight, which is a health challenge. We should adopt a healthy lifestyle that includes a balanced diet that reduces energy intake while increasing physical activity and energy expenditure, which in turn reduces the risk of weight gain, overweight and obesity. For people who are already overweight or obese, this should be done, in addition to adhering to a healthy lifestyle, and may need to undergo medication or bariatric surgery if necessary to lose weight.
Study lead author Dr. Sadiya S. Khan of the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University, notes: "It's never too late to change unhealthy lifestyles and start adhering to healthy ones. We can start by sticking to small changes, such as replacing sugary drinks with water, taking stairs instead of taking the elevator, walking outside every day, etc., which will help maintain a healthy weight, thereby prolonging life and avoiding premature death. ”