Obesity As A Chronic Disease
According to worldometer (http://www.worldometers.info/) obesity related global statistics are as the following as of December 16 2009. Number of obeese people is 340,559,939 globally and money spend on obesity related diseases is $160,245,705 in USA today
Among children and adolescents, annual hospital costs related to obesity were $127 million during 1997–1999, up from $35 million during 1979–1981. In 2000, the total cost of obesity in the United States was estimated to be $117 billion.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention connects chronic diseases and related conditions such as coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancers (breast, colon, and endometrial), high blood pressure, stroke, liver, and gallbladder disease, sleep apnea, respiratory problems, steoarthritis, and gynecological problems to obesity.
About 60% of all deaths across the world and 47% of the burden of disease can be attributed to non-communicable chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancers and osteoporosis. About two-thirds of deaths linked to these diseases occur in the developing world. The major risk factors are poor diet and physical inactivity, and associated obesity.
Apparently, obesity is not an isolated disease. Diagnostic, preventive, therapeutic approaches to obesity should consider other chronic diseases as a part of a bigger picture. Mendel's understanding of classical genetics is not valid anymore.
"One gene one disease" is OUT. "Multiple genes, multple diseases" is IN.
The following is taken from the web page of Dr. Hotamıslıgil, Harvard Chair of Department of Genetics and COMPLEX Diseases Department of Nutrition.
"We hope to generate insights into the mechanisms leading to obesity, diabetes and atherosclerosis and create novel preventive and therapeutic opportunities."
