Obesity is a growing problem that plagues many Americans. It is a well-known risk factor contributing to various health problems, although it is a modifiable one, meaning, it can be prevented.
The studies below reveal the link between obesity and sleep problems, examine cirrhosis progression in obesity, and discuss other dangers of this condition.
Genetic link uncovered between sleep problems and obesity
Researchers have found a genetic link between sleep problems and obesity. Coauthor Dr. Martin Rutter explained, “This clinical science is an important step forwards in understanding the biological basis for these conditions, so it’s very exciting. Scientists have long observed a connection between sleep disorders and these conditions in epidemiological studies. But this is the first time these biological links have been identified at a molecular level.”
The researchers analyzed and mapped out genes in over 112,000 individuals in order to determine any links between genes and sleep problems. The researchers identified some genomes that can be linked to many health conditions, including restless leg syndrome, schizophrenia, and obesity. Continue reading…
Cirrhosis progression may accelerate with obesity, independent of portal pressure and liver function. Obesity continues to be a growing problem worldwide, with 1.5 billion adults over the age of 20 being overweight, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The WHO estimates that over 200 million of those men and 300 million of those women are obese.
Researcher Dr. Guadalupe Garcia-Tsao said, “Given the prior evidence of the detrimental effects of obesity on chronic liver disease, we hypothesized that increased BMI may increase the risk of transition from compensated to decompensated cirrhosis.” The study recruited 161 patients with compensated cirrhosis who were followed until clinical decompensation occurred (which means, the patient developed ascites, variceal hemorrhage, or hepatic encephalopathy). Continue reading…
Additional evidence has come to light linking obesity to liver cancer. The study found that a larger waistline, high body mass index, and type 2 diabetes increase a person’s risk for liver cancer.
Coauthor Peter Campbell said, “We found that each of these three factors was associated, robustly, with liver cancer risk.”
Rates of liver cancer have roughly tripled in the U.S. since the mid-1970s. Prognosis for this type of cancer is not very promising for patients.
The researchers examined data on 1.57 million adults from 14 American studies to uncover an association between obesity and liver cancer. None of the participants had cancer at the start of the study. Continue reading…
Being overweight or obese has been tied to a number of negative health outcomes already, so it’s of little surprise that the latest findings have uncovered yet another side effect of obesity – it’s bad for your brain. The findings of the study suggest that being overweight or obese can trigger premature aging of the middle-aged brain. The study examined the impact of extra weight on the brain’s white matter that facilitates intracerebral communication.
White matter is known to shrink with age, but the study found that the amount of white matter in an overweight 50-year-old was similar to that of a 60-year-old lean individual. Continue reading…
Obesity poses greater health risks for men than women, according to latest findings. The study consisting of nearly four million men and women worldwide found that obesity in men is three times deadlier than in women.
While the risk of mortality before the age of 70 was 19 percent for men and 11 percent for women in the normal weight range, it was found to be as high as 30 percent for obese men and 15 percent for obese women.
Lead researcher Richard Peto said, “Obesity is second only to smoking as a cause of premature death in America. If you could lose about 10 percent of your weight, a woman would knock 10 percent off the risk of dying before she was 70, and for a man it would knock about 20 percent off.” Continue reading…