Still, the idea that one can be healthy while carrying around extra weight is misleading and inaccurate. Some obese individuals may be given a reprieve from many health conditions in the short-term, but the long-term impact of carrying around the extra weight is undeniable.
“This study suggests that there is no healthy pattern of increased weight,” Dr. Siddiqui said. “If you are overweight, your long-term risk of pre-mature death increases.”
The study, completed by researchers at Toronto’s Mount Sinai Hospital, found people who were obese but metabolically healthy had a significantly increased risk of experiencing a heart attack or stroke and dying prematurely. In fact, even without high blood pressure or elevated cholesterol, an obese person with a body mass index, or BMI, of 30 or greater had a 24 percent higher risk a heart attack or stroke or dying prematurely compared to a normal-weight person, the study’s researchers said.
Dr. Siddiqui, a Premier Health Specialists physician, hopes the study will be a wake-up call to physicians and patients alike. According to the National Institutes of Health, an average of 70 percent of men and women in the United States are overweight or obese. Despite the epidemic, it can be a sensitive subject inside a physician’s exam room. Moreover, patients don’t always see their weight as a problem since many of those living around them appear to be the same size.
“Many people look around and everyone else is overweight so they think, ‘Hey, I’m not overweight. I look the same as everyone else,’” Dr. Siddiqui said. “So they consider themselves normal with a BMI of 35. It may seem normal in the United States, but if you went to Europe or many other countries you would see a big difference.”
The impact that weight has on one’s body goes far beyond metabolic abnormalities. Someone who carries around an extra 100 pounds for 10 years or more could place significant stress on their joints and muscles. As a result, chronic back, knee and hip pain can set in and may eventually lead to surgery.
“These are issues that many people don’t pay attention to when they are ‘healthy.’” Dr. Siddiqui said. “But sooner or later it will catch up to them.”
Dr. Siddiqui often speaks at gatherings with primary care physicians and inevitably obesity is one of the top issues discussed. It’s a valid concern because obesity is much like the first domino in a string of concerns, potentially impacting the individual’s health and the overall economy. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found in 2009 that annual medical expenditures attributable to obesity had doubled in less than a decade topping out at $147 billion per year.
Dr. Siddiqui said obesity must remain a top priority even when an individual appears not to suffer from obesity related conditions.
ABOUT PREMIER HEALTH SPECIALISTS: Premier Health Specialists is one of the largest groups of specialty care practices in Southwest Ohio. More than 130 physicians serve patients in a variety of specialties such as bariatric, breast care, burn and wound, cardiology, cardiothoracic surgery, cardiovascular-thoracic surgery, general surgery, gynecologic oncology, hand and reconstructive surgery, infectious diseases, maternal-fetal medicine, neurosciences, obstetrics and gynecology, orthopedic surgery, orthopedic spine surgery, ophthalmology, palliative care, physiatry, plastic surgery, podiatry, psychology, pulmonology, sports medicine and urology. Premier Health Specialists is part of Premier Health, which includes Miami Valley Hospital, Good Samaritan Hospital Dayton, Atrium Medical Center and Upper Valley Medical Center. For more information, visit www.premierhealthspecialists.org.
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