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Obesity Related Diseases

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A brief overview and statistics of prevalent obesity-related diseases that are also amongst the leading causes of death in the United States are presented as follows:   1

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Type II Diabetes

With Type II Diabetes, the body does not appropriately use insulin and has a difficult time maintaining sugar at normal levels. 2 If healthy sugar levels are not sustained, any body part may be affected. 2  Prevalent complications include acquisition of heart and kidney disease, nerve damage, poor foot and oral health, hearing and vision loss as well as declined mental health. 2 This condition develops over many years and is generally diagnosed amongst adults, but is increasingly developing in youth and young adults. 2  A person may not display any symptoms, which is why it is important to have sugar levels tested regularly. 2

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Statistics

  • 26.9 million U.S. adults had diagnosed Type II Diabetes in 2018. 3
  • 7.3 million adults who met criteria for diabetes were not aware of or did not report having diabetes in 2018.3
  • Of those with diagnosed diabetes, 45.8% had obesity and 38% were physically inactive in 2013-16.3
  • Diabetes was the seventh leading cause of death in 2017.   3
  • In 2017, diabetes was the leading cause of end-stage kidney disease (38.6%).3

Direct and indirect costs of Diabetes:

  • Direct medical costs include preventative, diagnostic, and treatment services related to obesity. 4
    • Health care costs for Americans with diabetes were 2.3 times greater than those without diabetes in 2017.4
    • Diagnosed diabetes costs Americans $327 billion per year in 2017.4    
  • Indirect costs include productivity measures such as absenteeism and presenteeism.4   
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Cardiovascular Disease (Heart Disease)

Cardiovascular disease (Heart Disease) consists of various types of heart conditions. 5 The most common in the United States is Coronary Artery Disease (CAD). 5 This condition affects blood flow to the heart that in turn leads to decreased blood flow and increased risk of getting a heart attack. 5

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Statistics

  • Cardiovascular disease death rates 1.7 times higher among adults diagnosed with diabetes.   6
  • Heart disease costs the US about $219 billion annually.   7
  • 47% of Americans have at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease, which includes high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, and smoking.   8
  • It is estimated that excess body weight accounts for 23% of cases of coronary heart disease in men and 15% in women. 9
  • It is estimated that excess body weight accounts for approximately 26% of cases of hypertension in men and 28% in women.9   

Obesity

Figure 1: Obesity and the Risk of Heart Disease

Source: Johns Hopkins University

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Cancer

The National Cancer Institute describes cancer as a genetic disease that is caused by changes to genes that control theway in which our cells function, particularly how they grow and divide. 10 A common characteristic of this disease is that some of the cells in a person’s body begins to divide without stopping and begins to spread across surrounding tissues.   10

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Statistics

  • Overweight and obesity are associated with 13 types of cancer. These types of cancer accounted for 40% of cancer diagnoses in the United States in 2014.   11
  • A worldwide study conducted in 2016 found that when compared to other countries, the United States had the highest proportions of cancer attributed to overweight/obesity for cancers such as colorectal,    pancreatic    and postmenopausal breast cancer.   12
  • Higher amounts of body fat are associated with an increased risk of getting a host of cancers.12

Cancer

Figure 2: Cancers Associated with Overweight and Obesity

Source: National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health

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Stroke 

A stroke occurs when there is a blockage to blood supply to part of a person’s brain or when a blood vessel in the brain bursts. 13 As a result of either one of these circumstances, areas if the brain become damaged or die.13A stroke may result in long-term disability, lasting brain damage or death.   13

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Statistics

  • Approximately 795,000 individuals in the United States alone have a stroke each year.   13
  • Stroke accounts for 1 out of every 20 deaths in the United States.   13
  • Costs related to stroke in the United States accounts for about $34 billion every year which includes medication, health care services, and missed days of work.   13
  • Stroke is the leading cause of serious long-term disability.   13

Stroke

Figure 3: The impact of a stroke on the human brain

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: About Stroke

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References

  1. Leading Causes of Death. cdc.gov. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/leading-causes-of-death.htm. Updated February 6, 2020. Accessed September 20, 2020.
  2. What is Diabetes? cdc.gov. https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/basics/diabetes.html. Updated June 11, 2020. Accessed September 20, 2020.
  3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Diabetes Statistics Report, 2020.  US Department of Health and Human Services.  2020;12-15. https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pdfs/data/statistics/national-diabetes-statistics-report.pdf. Accessed September 20, 2020.
  4. American Diabetes Association. Economic Costs of Diabetes in the U.S. in 2017.  Diabetes Care.  2018;41(5), 917-928. https://doi.org/10.2337/dci18-0007. Accessed September 20, 2020.
  5. About Heart Disease. cdc.gov. https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/about.htm. Updated September 8., 2020. Accessed September 20, 2020.
  6. Leon, BM, Maddox, TM. Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology, Biological Mechanisms, Treatments Recommendations and Future Research.  World Journal of Diabetes.  2015;6(13), 1246-1258. https://doi.org/10.4239/wjd.v6.i13.1246. Accessed September 20, 2020.
  7. Heart Disease Facts. cdc.gov. https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/facts.htm. Updated September 8, 2020. Accessed September 20, 2020.
  8. Fryar, CD, Chen, T, Li, X. Prevalence of Uncontrolled Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease: United States, 1999-2010.  National Center for Health Statistics.  2012;103. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db103.pdf?s_cid=cs_3605. Accessed September 20, 2020.
  9. Wilson, PW, D’Agostino, RB, Sullivan, L, Parise, H, Kannel, WB. Overweight and Obesity as Determinants of Cardiovascular Risk: The Framingham Experience.  Archives of Internal Medicine.  2002;162(16), 1867-1872. https://doi.org/10.1001/archinte.162.16.1867. Accessed September 20, 2020.
  10. What is Cancer. cancer.gov. https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/understanding/what-is-cancer#how-cancer-arises. Updated February 9, 2015. Accessed September 20, 2020.
  11. Cancers Associated with Overweigh and Obesity Make up 40 Percent of Cancers Diagnosed in the United States. cdc.gov. https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2017/p1003-vs-cancer-obesity.html. Updated October 3, 2017. Accessed September 20, 2020.
  12. Obesity and Cancer. cancer.gov. https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/obesity/obesity-fact-sheet#what-is-known-about-the-relationship-between-obesity-and-cancer-. Updated January 17, 2017. Accessed September 20, 2020.
  13. About Stroke. cdc.gov. https://www.cdc.gov/stroke/about.htm. Updated January 31, 2020. Accessed September 20, 2020.
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