What are the effects of weight loss on natural killer cell function, our first line of immune defense against cancer, kidney function, and fatty liver disease?
In the ABCs of the health consequences of obesity, Yo It’s for immunity.
The SOS trial continued the fate of thousands of bariatric surgery patients over a decade or two, compared with a control group who maintained their weight. Those who surgically lost about 20 percent of their body weight not only lived longer, thanks in part to less diabetes and less cardiovascular disease, but they also got less cancer. This may be because antitumor immunity appears to be affected by weight.
Natural killer cells are Our immune system’s first line of defense against cancer cells and many viral infections, “and its function is severely impaired in people with obesity.” When obese individuals were randomized to a weight loss program, researchers found a significant reactivation of participants’ natural killer cell function in just three months. However, the program included an exercise component, so it is difficult to determine the impact of weight loss itself, since physical activity alone can increase Natural killer cell activity.
At the other end of the immunological spectrum, obesity is suspicious be a causal risk factor for the development of the autoimmune disease multiple sclerosis. This suggests that obesity is associated with the worst of both worlds when it comes to immune function: underactivity when it comes to protecting against cancer and infections, and overactivity when it comes to certain autoimmune inflammatory conditions.
j It’s for jaundice. Thanks to the obesity epidemic, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is It is currently the most common liver disorder in the industrialized world. Fat not only ends up on the belly and thighs, but also on the inside of some of our internal organs. More than 80 percent of people with abdominal obesity may have fatty infiltration in the liver, and in those with severe obesity, the prevalence may get over 90 percent. this can lead to inflammation, scarring, and ultimately cirrhosis and liver cancer, as you can see below and at 2:10 in my video. The effects of obesity on the immune system and kidney and liver diseases. Currently, this non-alcoholic fatty hepatitis is the leading cause of liver transplants in American women.
k It’s for kidneys. Obesity is also “one of the most important risk factors for new-onset chronic kidney disease.” Our kidneys compensate for the metabolic demands of excess weight by using what is called “hyperfiltration” to cope with the additional workload. This resulting increase in pressure within our kidneys can damage sensitive structures and increase the risk of long-term kidney failure.
What about l, METRO, north, oh, P through z? If you want to continue with the alphabet, l could be for decreased lung function, METRO could be for metabolic syndrome, etc. There is even a unknown—xiphodynia—pain at the tip of the lower part of the breastbone due to the abdomen tilting forward due to expansion.
Given the countless health conditions associated overweight, the “annual medical expense attributable to an obese person” is nearly $2,000 per year and obese workers with multiple conditions can cost companies up to $10,000 more in health care coverage compared to “their efficient counterpart.” this can account part of the wage gap that obese employees may experience, as companies attempt to shift these costs from “their higher health insurance premiums” beyond just blatant discrimination. Between health care costs and decreased productivity in terms of lost work days, the total lifetime costs of obesity for children and adolescents have been My dear exceed $150,000.
Some estimates plug The annual “health care costs of obesity in the United States” amount to about $150 billion, with another $50 billion per year. aggregate by 2030, as our increasingly heavier Baby Boomers continue to age. Others diametrically disagreebased on the morbid fact that obese people may not live as long. Just as “the high medical costs of smoking-related diseases are more than offset by lower survival of smokers,” the lifetime health care costs of obese people may be lower because they are expected to die much sooner. Therefore, the true cost may be more in lives than dollars. To what extent does being overweight shorten your life? I’ll explore that question below.
If you missed the previous blog posts in my series on the ABCs of Obesity, check out the related posts below.
I continue the topic of obesity and weight with these videos: Is the obesity paradox real or a myth? and Friday Favorites: What is your ideal BMI and waist size?.
For more information on the health conditions discussed in this video, see the topic pages on immune function, kidney disease, and liver health.
