Short commentary
Safa M. Osman
Abstract
The global prevalence of diabetes and obesity in adults indicates that it has reached endemic proportions. Obesity is a chronic disease affecting more than 100 million adults. The prevalence of class III obesity BMI 40 has quadrupled, BMI 30 has tripled, and super obesity (extreme obesity of BMI 50) has increased fivefold. The alarming and major concern is the increasing prevalence of obesity in children which is suggesting the endemic is going to get worse. The percentage of diabetes among adults increased from 4.7% in 1980 to 8.5% in 2014. The estimation of death directly caused by diabetes as reported by the World Health Organization is 1.6 million deaths in 2016. Healthy diet, regular physical activity, and maintaining a normal body weight are crucial ways to prevent or delay the onset of Type 2 diabetes. Weight loss in general, surgically or non-surgically, results in better glycemic control, complete resolution of diabetes, and prevention of diabetes. The weight loss and diabetes control go hand in hand although studies have shown that gastric bypasses help to resolve the diabetes even before weight loss occurs.