Risk of developing disease expands with waist line

Ever work hard to shed those extra pounds only to pack some of the weight back on months later?

Despair not, dieters. Even losing a few pounds, or maintaining your current weight, can improve your health -- or, at least, lower your chances of developing a chronic illness, according to new Utah Department of Health data on obesity and disease.

Obesity has long been linked to all manner of health problems, from diabetes to heart disease. But for the first time in Utah's annual Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, health officials examined disease risk factors by weight class, allowing them to track changes in risk as a person moves from his or her ideal weight to becoming overweight, obese or morbidly obese.

"We were surprised at the significance of the findings," said Michael Friedrichs, state epidemiology manager.

The bad news: Utahns are getting fatter, and as their waistlines grow, so do their chances of getting a chronic disease.

Since 2001, when the U.S. Surgeon General proclaimed obesity the single greatest threat to public health, Utah's adult obesity rate has nearly doubled.

Today, nearly a quarter of adults in Utah qualify as obese, according to the self-reported height and weight of 5,000 Utahns surveyed in 2005 and 2007.

That's below the national average, but in line with the national trend, said Friedrichs. "We're not less obese, we're just a couple of years behind."

And obese Utahns are sicker than those of healthy size.

A person classified as morbidly obese -- a woman weighing 240 pounds or more and man over 286 -- is nearly 20 times more likely to have diabetes than a person of ideal weight, data show.

Morbidly obese adults are also at significantly greater risk for high cholesterol, asthma, arthritis and depression.

But drop five pounds into the "Class II" level of obesity, and their disease risk falls -- in the case of diabetes, from 20 times greater than a person of ideal weight to 7 times greater.

The data illustrate the human costs of obesity and hint at the financial burden on families and society at large, which "we've probably underestimated," Friedrichs said.

A 2009 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention pegged the costs of treating obesity-related health problems at $147 billion annually.

The health department has adopted a 10-year obesity prevention plan that involves instilling healthier habits in the workplace, schools and families. The focus is more broad than urging weight loss, and includes promotion of breast feeding, which helps women shed their baby weight and has been shown to lead to better eating regulation in children.

As Utahns' growing girth suggests, adopting a healthy lifestyle isn't as simple as convincing someone to forgo french fries.

Seizing teachable moments, such as a patient's concern about heart disease, is paying off at Utah Valley Regional Hospital in Provo which runs a 100-day "Heart Challenge."

More than a weight-loss program, the contest entails measuring participants' cholesterol, blood pressure, blood glucose and body fat. The person showing the greatest improvement in all measures wins, said hospital spokeswoman Janet Frank.

Christi Winters' motivation for participating: her 3-year-old daughter.

"She's so active and would say, 'Come on, Mom, let's go play and run like those people,'" said the Pleasant Grove woman, who has struggled with her weight since she was a teen. "It was embarrassing to not be able keep up with her."

Winters was among 10 women chosen this year to participate. Each was paired with a partner; Winters chose her husband, Jeff.

Nutritionists taught the couple how to shop and eat. And twice a week they meet with a trainer who "pushes us beyond our comfort zones," said Winters.

Together they've lost 42 pounds with two weeks to go before they're tested on other measures.

"Win or lose, we feel great. I have so much more energy," said Winters. "It's completely changed the way we eat and way we view food. We used to be in and out of the grocery store in 20 minutes. Now we read every label. But because we're happier with who we are; we're happier with each other."

source: sltrib