Obesity Learning Objectives

Question 1

define obesity

Answer 1

• a condition in which a person has an abnormally high and unhealthy proportion of body fat
• indicator or physical marker for metabolic activities that lead to chronic disease

Question 2

describe the pathophysiology of obesity

Answer 2

• increased intake of fructose and glucose storage
• high lipid patterns
• development of metabolic syndrome
• high LDL-C and low HDL-C (cholesterol)

Question 3

Identify risk factors for developing obesity.

Answer 3

o	Genes (Susceptibility genes)
o	Culture
o	Food intake
o	Exercise
o	Metabolic rate (men vs. women)
o	Monogenic syndromes

Question 4

Identify the chronic diseases that are associated with (due to) obesity

Answer 4

• cvd
• stroke
• hypertension
• hyperlipidimia (low HDL; elevated triglycerides
• sleep apnea
• gall bladder disease
• gynecologic problems

Question 5

Identify PH and economic burden of obesity

Answer 5

• economic cost
  o Affects 20-30% of adult population
  o 70% of individuals with NAFLD have metabolic syndrome
  o Widespread among Hispanic population due to a gene variant ( PNPLA3) that causes the liver to store triglycerides
  o In Los Angeles, almost 25% of liver transplants due to nonalcoholic steato (fatty) hepatitis (NASH), the most severe form of NAFLD

Question 6

explain the influence of social networks on risk for obesity

Answer 6

3 degrees of separation:
• 57% increased risk if a friend obese
• 40% increased risk if sibling obese
• 37% increased risk if spouse obese

Question 7

Describe trends in obesity in the U.S.

Answer 7

o 1990- prevalence in all states <15%
o In 1994- the risk was low comparing to 2010 the risk was high.
o 2010- 36 states had a prevalence of ≥ 25% and 12 of these had a prevalence ≥ 30%

Question 8

Discuss approaches needed to prevent obesity and associated chronic diseases

Answer 8

o Recognize that obesity is a medical, societal, political, and economic issue
o Prevent obesity in children through education of families and communities
o Change the food environment – school lunches
o Work with food manufacturers
o Expose deleterious EFFECTS of processed food (sugar, sodium, and calories are everywhere!)

Question 9

How can obesity be measured?

Answer 9

BMI

Question 10

What are the factors that make people obese?

Answer 10

• willpower
• lifestyle/environment
• biology/genes

Question 11

What does more leptin in the body suggests?

Answer 11

the more leptin the less hungry you get

Question 12

What are the three components of the 24 hour expenditure (physical activity)

Answer 12

1. Thermal Effect of Food (TEF)
2. Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR)
3. Energy cost of physical activity

Question 13

What is TEF?

Answer 13

its is the amount of energy required to digest, absorb, and further process the energy-yielding nutrients in the food

Question 14

What is RMR?

Answer 14

constitutes the largest portion of the 24 hour energy expenditure
- anything that affects the RMR has the potential to substantially impact BODY FAT stores