This indicates that even in the absence of metabolic abnormalities , overweight and obesity are not innocuous , perhaps because the traditional cardiovascular risk factors are either not present early or remain undetected using routine clinical assessment .
This raises the concept that early or sub clinical organ damage assessment s may be better at identifying subjects who are more likely to progress to develop cardiovascular disease .
Obesity and Consequences The prevalence of overweight and obesity has reached epidemic proportion , with the recent figures from the World Health Organization indicating that in 2016 39 % of adults aged ≥18 years ( 39 % of men and 40 % of women ) were overweight and 13 % ( 11 % of men and 15 % of women ) obese .
The World Health Organization states that raised body mass index ( BMI ) is a major risk factor for noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases ( mainly heart disease and stroke ) , which were the leading causes of death in 2012 , diabetes mellitus , musculoskeletal disorders , and some cancers .
The Framingham Heart Study data have indicated that overweight and obesity are associated with significantly decreased life expectancy .
Nevertheless , and against these strong evidence s , the relationship between BMI and mortality has been challenged by several studies , indicating a survival advantages for those who are overweight and class I obese .
However , the determinants of these observations are poorly understood and continue to be debated because BMI may not be the ideal index of adiposity and fat distribution and fitness and disease prevention may obscure the link between BMI and mortality .
Overweight or obesity is not always accompanied by traditional risk factors .
In fact , a systematic review and meta analysis revealed that about 35 % of obese individuals are metabolically healthy .
There is evidence that an important factor driving at least some of the obesity-associated end-organ damage is overactivity of the sympathetic nervous system ( SNS ) , an observation that suggests that targeting SNS in obesity may help reduce the cardiovascular risk associated with obesity .
In this review , we highlight the current knowledge of the potential role of SNS function in obesity-induced organ damage and examine whether interventions aim ed at reducing cardiovascular risk in obesity may be mediated via alterations in SNS activity .
Long-term effects of a lifestyle intervention on weight and cardiovascular risk factors in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus: four-year results of the Look AHEAD trial.
BACKGROUND Lifestyle interventions produce short-term improvements in glycemia and cardiovascular disease ( CVD ) risk factors in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus , but no long-term data are available . We examined the effects of lifestyle intervention on changes in weight , fitness , and CVD risk factors during a 4-year study . METHODS The Look AHEAD ( Action for Health in Diabetes ) trial is a multicenter r and omized clinical trial comparing the effects of an intensive lifestyle intervention ( ILI ) and diabetes support and education ( DSE ; the control group ) on the incidence of major CVD events in 5145 overweight or obese individuals ( 59.5 % female ; mean age , 58.7 years ) with type 2 diabetes mellitus . More than 93 % of participants provided outcomes data at each annual assessment . RESULTS Averaged across 4 years , ILI participants had a greater percentage of weight loss than DSE participants ( -6.15 % vs -0.88 % ; P < .001 ) and greater improvements in treadmill fitness ( 12.74 % vs 1.96 % ; P < .001 ) , hemoglobin A(1c ) level ( -0.36 % vs -0.09 % ; P < .001 ) , systolic ( -5.33 vs -2.97 mm Hg ; P < .001 ) and diastolic ( -2.92 vs -2.48 mm Hg ; P = .01 ) blood pressure , and levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ( 3.67 vs 1.97 mg/dL ; P < .001 ) and triglycerides ( -25.56 vs -19.75 mg/dL ; P < .001 ) . Reductions in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were greater in DSE than ILI participants ( -11.27 vs -12.84 mg/dL ; P = .009 ) owing to greater use of medications to lower lipid levels in the DSE group . At 4 years , ILI participants maintained greater improvements than DSE participants in weight , fitness , hemoglobin A(1c ) levels , systolic blood pressure , and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels . CONCLUSIONS Intensive lifestyle intervention can produce sustained weight loss and improvements in fitness , glycemic control , and CVD risk factors in individuals with type 2 diabetes . Whether these differences in risk factors translate to reduction in CVD events will ultimately be addressed by the Look AHEAD trial . TRIAL REGISTRATION clinical trials.gov Identifier : NCT00017953
This indicates that even in the absence of metabolic abnormalities , overweight and obesity are not innocuous , perhaps because the traditional cardiovascular risk factors are either not present early or remain undetected using routine clinical assessment .
This raises the concept that early or sub clinical organ damage assessment s may be better at identifying subjects who are more likely to progress to develop cardiovascular disease .
Obesity and Consequences The prevalence of overweight and obesity has reached epidemic proportion , with the recent figures from the World Health Organization indicating that in 2016 39 % of adults aged ≥18 years ( 39 % of men and 40 % of women ) were overweight and 13 % ( 11 % of men and 15 % of women ) obese .
The World Health Organization states that raised body mass index ( BMI ) is a major risk factor for noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases ( mainly heart disease and stroke ) , which were the leading causes of death in 2012 , diabetes mellitus , musculoskeletal disorders , and some cancers .
The Framingham Heart Study data have indicated that overweight and obesity are associated with significantly decreased life expectancy .
Nevertheless , and against these strong evidence s , the relationship between BMI and mortality has been challenged by several studies , indicating a survival advantages for those who are overweight and class I obese .
However , the determinants of these observations are poorly understood and continue to be debated because BMI may not be the ideal index of adiposity and fat distribution and fitness and disease prevention may obscure the link between BMI and mortality .
Overweight or obesity is not always accompanied by traditional risk factors .
In fact , a systematic review and meta analysis revealed that about 35 % of obese individuals are metabolically healthy .
There is evidence that an important factor driving at least some of the obesity-associated end-organ damage is overactivity of the sympathetic nervous system ( SNS ) , an observation that suggests that targeting SNS in obesity may help reduce the cardiovascular risk associated with obesity .
In this review , we highlight the current knowledge of the potential role of SNS function in obesity-induced organ damage and examine whether interventions aim ed at reducing cardiovascular risk in obesity may be mediated via alterations in SNS activity .