Obesity increases the risk of exposure to various diseases such as adult asthma, diabetes, and male infertility. [그림 = 365mc 제공]When people think of obesity, they think of images such as a fat body, a protruding belly, and thick arms and legs. As such, obesity is often viewed only as an external problem, such as appearance.
But the real fear of obesity is that it gradually destroys the body, increasing the risk of various chronic diseases. According to the results of the recent National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the obesity rate in Korea is steadily increasing. In particular, the obesity rate among adult males in their 30s and 40s is soaring due to the decrease in outdoor activities due to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).
According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the prevalence of obesity in men last year was 48.0%, up 6.2 percentage points (P) from 41.8% in 2019. During the same period, the number of women increased by 2.7 percentage points from 25.0% to 27.7%. By age, the prevalence of obesity among men in their 30s rose 11.8%p from 46.4% to 58.2%, the highest among all age groups. In particular, obesity can cause problems in various areas such as the respiratory system, endocrine system, and fertility. Among these diseases, obesity, which has shown the greatest increase in recent years, is affected by adult asthma, diabetes, and male infertility.
Asthma is a chronic inflammation of the airways that causes symptoms such as shortness of breath, wheezing, chest tightness, and paroxysmal cough. The prevalence of asthma among adults 19 years of age and older in Korea is 3%, which is increasing every year.
It usually occurs in childhood and continues until adulthood, and it is estimated that the proportion of adults over the age of 19 currently exceeds 66%.
A team of researchers at Charles Gardner Hospital in Australia examined lung samples from 52 deaths, including 16 from asthma, and found that people with high body mass index (BMI) at the time of death had a buildup of fatty tissue in the walls of their airways.
“Asthma, a respiratory disease, does not seem to have any contact with obesity, but research results proving the relationship between the two diseases are being reported one after another. According to previous studies, overweight or obese people accumulate fat in their airways,” said Jae-yong Jae, CEO of 365mc Yeongdeungpo Branch. “Asthma risk may increase,” he said. “Research results have been reported that obese asthmatics have lower lung function and a higher incidence of comorbidities than normal-weight patients, but the exact cause is still unknown.”
Obesity is one of the reasons for the recent increase in the number of young diabetic patients. Obesity is pointed out as the most important risk factor for type 2 diabetes to the extent that more than 80% of diabetic patients are overweight or obese. CEO Jae-yong Jae said, “If too many fat cells are accumulated in the body, the insulin hormone that controls blood sugar does not work properly.” It can overload the pancreas and eventually damage the insulin secretion function,” he said. In other words, losing weight can help relieve symptoms of diabetes. The medical community believes that even if you lose just 10% of your body weight, you can reduce the risk of diabetes itself and complications by more than half. In addition, a study conducted by a team at the University of Texas at Southwestern Medical Center in the United States found that if patients with type 2 diabetes lost 15% or more of their weight, it could be effective in controlling health levels such as blood sugar.
Obesity can also cause male infertility, which has recently emerged as a social problem. According to data from the National Health Insurance Corporation, the number of male infertility treatments increased by 46.8% from 53,980 in 2015 to 79,251 in 2020.
Several studies have shown that obesity in men can decrease the quantity and quality of semen. A Danish research team studied 1,558 men and found that the sperm concentration and total sperm count in obese people were significantly lower than in those of normal weight. A study in Australia also reported that higher BMIs decreased semen volume, sperm count and hormones such as testosterone. Another study found that for every 10 kg increase in body weight, the chance of infertility increases by 10%.
CEO Soh said, “Excessive fat cells can disturb the metabolism of sex hormones. In this case, testosterone, a male hormone, changes into a female hormone, which causes problems in sperm production.” “Obesity is diabetes, angina, hypertension , and may indirectly cause sexual dysfunction by increasing the risk of chronic diseases such as hyperlipidemia.” He continued, “These days, in the case of male infertility among young people, the habit of ‘eating a lot of junk food without moving well’ has been accumulating since childhood. It will be effective,” he advised.
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