Obesity management: the cardiovascular benefits

The latest data from the International Obesity TaskForce show a marked trend towards increasing levels of adult overweight and obesity throughout Europe. Obesity rates range from 10–27% in men and up to 38% in women. In parts of Europe, the combination of reported overweight and obesity in men exceeds even the 67% prevalence found in the USA's most recent measured survey. At least nine European countries have male obesity rates above 20% while in at least seven countries, one in five women is obese. Major health threats associated with overweight and obesity include dyslipidaemia, metabolic syndrome, Type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. The recently published INTERHEART study identified nine modifiable risk factors that account for 90% of acute myocardial infarctions globally, across all age groups and races. Importantly, seven of these nine risk factors are linked to obesity and can be positively influenced by effective weight management. INTERHEART shows that not smoking, eating more fruit and vegetables, and taking more exercise each significantly reduces the odds ratio for developing a myocardial infarction.