Fattest adults were ‘overweight at age 10’
Research goes even further, showing the fattest adults in Ireland became overweight before the age of 10.
A four-year long study of obese patients has found people with the most severe degree of obesity were those who became overweight at a very young age.
According to the Obesity Research Group, which is made up of researchers from St Vincent’s and St Columcille’s hospitals in Dublin, one-in-four Irish adults is obese and the number of people with “extreme” obesity is increasing at an alarming rate, leading to an explosion in the level of diabetes.
“Diabetes is the epidemic of the 21st century as Aids was in the 20th,” said Dr Anna Clarke of the Diabetes Federation of Ireland.
“Fighting obesity should be a national policy and implemented as a matter of urgency.”
Dr Clarke added that, while the DFI and the World Health Organisation would assert diabetes levels in Ireland have doubled in the past decade, the view of clinicians in the area is that the rate has trebled.
The study, led by Prof Donal O’Shea, also found the most obese people were also more likely to be single, separated or divorced, as well as unemployed. The number of people with extreme obesity — those with a Body Mass Index over 50 — is increasing at an alarming rate, according to the DFI. A healthy BMI is between 20 and 25.
However, the research also discovered a small number of obese people are healthy because they have smaller, “healthier” fat cells that are able to grow and expand in a way that may protect them from diabetes. These fat cells act as protective sponges, soaking up excess calories and storing it in the safe environment of the fat tissue.
The fat cells in unhealthy obese individuals are not as effective at storing excess calories and, therefore, fat overflows into the liver, muscles and pancreas, leading to a fatty liver, high cholesterol and a very high risk of type 2 diabetes.
Nonetheless, according to Prof O’Shea, being overweight is “not normal” and should not be considered acceptable. However, he acknowledged a small percentage who are extremely obese do not appear to suffer the normal health problems associated with obesity.
“This study has helped us to identify why this may be the case. Further funding is now needed to examine how we can use this information to help those people with ‘unhealthy’ fat cells,” he said.
According to the DFI, the absence of a national diabetes register for children makes it difficult to assess the extent of the problem.
“There are already hundreds of Irish children with type 2 diabetes, but given there is no national register, it is hard to be definitive,” said Dr Clarke. “There are the region of 2,750 children with type 1 diabetes but, again, there is no national register to verify this.”
She added: “Action needs to be taken quickly with an aim towards a healthier and pro-active lifestyle. The best cure to the obesity health issue is to avoid it by taking some exercise each day, eating a healthy diet, limit the number of ‘treats’ and remember alcohol contains useless calories.”
