Impact of overweight on the risk of developing common chronic diseases during a 10-year period.

By A. Field, E. Coakley, A. Must, Jennifer L. Spadano, N. Laird, W. Dietz, E. Rimm, Graham A Colditz. Archives of Internal Medicine, 2001

1,819 citations recorded by the source corpus.

BACKGROUND Overweight adults are at an increased risk of developing numerous chronic diseases. METHODS Ten-year follow-up (1986-1996) of middle-aged women in the Nurses' Health Study and men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study to assess the health risks associated with overweight. RESULTS The risk of developing diabetes, gallstones, hypertension, heart disease, and stroke increased with severity of overweight among both women and men. Compared with their same-sex peers with a body mass index (BMI) (calculated as weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters) between 18.5 and 24.9, those with BMI of 35.0 or more were approximately 20 times more likely to develop diabetes (relative risk [RR], 17.0; 95% confidence interval [CI], 14.2-20.5 for women; RR, 23.4; 95% CI, 19.4-33.2 for men). Women who were overweight but not obese (ie, BMI between 25.0 and 29.9) were also significantly more likely than their leaner peers to develop gallstones (RR, 1.9), hypertension (RR, 1.7), high cholesterol level (RR, 1.1), and heart disease (RR, 1.4). The results were similar in men. CONCLUSIONS During 10 years of follow-up, the incidence of diabetes, gallstones, hypertension, heart disease, colon cancer, and stroke (men only) increased with degree of overweight in both men and women. Adults who were overweight but not obese (ie, 25.0 < or = BMI < or = 29.9) were at significantly increased risk of developing numerous health conditions. Moreover, the dose-response relationship between BMI and the risk of developing chronic diseases was evident even among adults in the upper half of the healthy weight range (ie, BMI of 22.0-24.9), suggesting that adults should try to maintain a BMI between 18.5 and 21.9 to minimize their risk of disease.

Subfields: Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health, Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

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Citations in the corpus

Association of overweight with increased risk of coronary heart disease partly independent of blood pressure and cholesterol levels: a meta-analysis of 21 cohort studies including more than 300 000 persons. (2007, background): “Obviously, overweight is associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus.(41) In Adult Treatment Panel III, obesity is not listed as a risk factor because it is said to operate through diabetes (and other risk factors).”
Television watching and other sedentary behaviors in relation to risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus in women. (2003, background): “In addition, another substudy assessing the prevalence of undiagnosed diabetes suggested a very low rate of false-negative results.(16)”
Coffee Consumption and Risk for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (2004, background): “In addition, another substudy assessing the prevalence of undiagnosed diabetes suggested a very low rate of false-negative results (19).”
The effects of obesity, smoking, and drinking on medical problems and costs. (2002, background): “A higher BMI, beginning in the upper range of the normal weight category, is associated with increased mortality and increased risk for coronary heart disease, osteoarthritis, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and certain types of cancer.(2) Even modest weight reductions can have substantial lifetime”