The aim of this study was to draw attention to the issue of obesity, which has been growing for over a dozen years, in particular its epidemiology and pathogenesis. Obesity is a consequence of weight gain due to a positive energy balance, i.e.: the consumption of more calories than the body demands. Excessive fat gain, exceeding human body’s physiological needs and adaptation possibilities leads to structural and functional defects of many organs and systems, biochemical and physiological disorders, and as a consequence to shortening the life expectancy. Among the many methods assessing the severity of obesity, the most common and most frequently used is the determination of the body mass index (BMI), which is the quotient of body weight (kg) and height (m) squared. Using this method, we recognize overweight in patients with a BMI between 25 and 29.9 kg/m2, and obesity with BMI above 30 kg/m2. Morbid obesity is diagnosed when the patient’s BMI is above 40 kg/m2.
1. WHO: Obesity and overweight. Fact sheet N°311, 2015; http://www.who.int/mediacentre/ factsheets/fs311/en/.
2. World Obesity Federation: Global Prevalence of Adult Overweight & Obesity; http://www.worldobesity.org/site_media/library/resource_images/Global_prevalence_of_Adult_Obesity_23rd_October_2015_WO.pdf. 2015.
3. Biela U, Pajak A, Kaczmarczyk-Chalas K et al.: Incidence of overweight and obesity in women and men between the ages of 20-74. Results of the WOBASZ program. Kardiol Pol 2005; 63 (6 suppl. 4): S632-635.
4. Pająk A: Pol-MONICA. Przegl Lek 1996; 53: 703-846.
5. Zdrojewski T, Bandosz P, Szpakowski P: Rozpowszechnienie głównych czynników ryzyka chorób układu sercowo-naczyniowego w Polsce. Wyniki badania NATPOL PLUS. Kardiol Pol 2004; 61 (supl. 4): 1-26.
6. GUS: Stan zdrowia ludności Polski w 2009 r.; http://stat.gov.pl/download/cps/rde/xbcr/gus/ZO_ stan_zdrowia_2009.pdf. 2009.
7. Young people’s health in context. Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study: international report from 2001/2002 survey.
8. WHO: Childhood obesity and overweight; http://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/childhood/ en/. 2005.
9. Berrington de Gonzalez A, Hartge P, Cerhan JR et al.: Body-mass index and mortality among 1.46 million white adults. N Engl J Med 2010; 363: 2211-2219.
10. Flegal KM, Kit BK, Orpana Het al.: Association of all-cause mortality with overweight and obesity using standard body mass index categories: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA 2013; 309: 71-82.
11. Sjöström L: Review of the key results from the Swedish Obese Subjects (SOS) trial – a prospective controlled intervention study of bariatric surgery. J Intern Med 2013; 273: 219-234.
12. Wolin KY, Carson K, Colditz GA: Obesity and cancer. Oncologist 2010; 15: 556-565.
13. Jaggers JR, Sui X, Hooker SP et al.: Metabolic syndrome and risk of cancer mortality in men. Eur J Cancer 2009; 45: 1831-1838.
14. Mokdad AH, Ford ES, Bowman BA et al.: Prevalence of obesity, diabetes and obesity-related high risk factors. JAMA 2001; 289(1): 76-79.
15. Almdal T, Scharling H, Jensen JS et al.: The independent effect of type 2 diabetes mellitus on ischemic heart disease, stroke and death: a population-based study of 13 000 men and women with 20 years follow-up. Arch Intern Med 2004; 164(13): 1422-1426.
16. Wanless I, Lentz J: Fatty liver hepatitis (steatohepatitis) and obesity: an autopsy study with analysis of risk factors. Hepatology 1990; 12(5): 1106-1110.
17. Almazeedi S, Al-Sabah S, Alshammari D: Routine trans-abdominal ultrasonography before laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy: the findings. Obes Surg 2014; 24: 397-399.
18. Adibi A, Kelishadi R, Beihagi A et al.: Sonographic fatty liver in overweight and obese children, a cross sectional study in Isfahan. Endokrynol Pol 2009; 60(1): 14-19.
19. Franzese A, Vajro P, Argenziano A et al.: Liver involvement in obese children. Ultrasonography and liver enzyme levels at diagnosis and during follow-up an Italian population. Dig Dis Sci 1997; 42: 1428-1432.
20. Karelis AD; St-Pierre DH, Conus F et al.: Metabolic and body composition factors in subgroups of obesity: what do we know? J Clin End Metab 2004; 89(6): 2569-2575.
21. Major P, Matlok M, Pedziwiatr M et al.: Quality of life after bariatric surgery. Obes Surg 2015; 25: 1703-1710.
22. Lehnert T, Sonntag D, Konnopka A et al.: Economic costs of overweight and obesity. Best Pract Res Clin Endocrinol Metab 2013; 27: 105-115.
23. Finkelstein EA, Trogdon JG, Cohen JW et al.: Annual medical spending attributable to obesity: payer-and service-specific estimates. Health Aff (Millwood) 2009; 28: 822-831.
24. Kojima M, Hosoda H, Date Y et al.: Ghrelin is a growth-hormone-releasing acylated peptide from stomach. Nature 1999; 402: 656-660.
25. Goitein D, Lederfein D, Tzioni R et al.: Mapping of ghrelin gene expression and cell distribution in the stomach of morbidly obese patients – a possible guide for efficient sleeve gastrectomy construction. Obes Surg 2012; 22: 617-622.
26. Broglio F, Arvat E, Benso A et al.: Ghrelin, a natural GH secretagogue produced by the stomach, induces hyperglycemia and reduces insulin secretion in humans. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2001; 86: 5083-5086.
27. Muccioli G, Tschop M, Papotti M et al.: Neuroendocrine and peripheral activities of ghrelin: implications in metabolism and obesity. Eur J Endocrinol 2002; 175: 1-5.
28. Yousseif A, Emmanuel J, Karra E et al.: Differential effects of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy and laparoscopic gastric bypass on appetite, circulating acyl-ghrelin, peptide YY3-36 and active GLP-1 levels in non-diabetic humans. Obes Surg 2014; 24: 241-252.
29. Chambers AP, Smith EP, Begg DP et al.: Regulation of gastric emptying rate and its role in nutrient-induced GLP-1 secretion in rats after vertical sleeve gastrectomy. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 2014; 306: E424-E432.
30. Rocca AS, Brubaker PL: Role of the vagus nerve in mediating proximal nutrient-induced glucagon-like peptide-1 secretion. Endocrinology 1999; 140: 1687-1694.
31. Zwirska-Korczala K, Konturek SJ, Sodowski M et al.: Basal and postprandial plasma levels of PYY, ghrelin, cholecystokinin, gastrin and insulin in women with moderate and morbid obesity and metabolic syndrome. J Physiol Pharmacol 2007; 58 (suppl. 1): 13-35.
32. Batterham RL, Cowley MA, Small CJ et al.: Gut hormone PYY(3-36) physiologically inhibits food intake. Nature 2002; 418: 650-654.
33. Kelesidis T, Kelesidis I, Chou S et al.: Narrative review: the role of leptin in human physiology: emerging clinical applications. Ann Intern Med 2010; 152: 93-100.
34. Park HK, Ahima RS: Physiology of leptin: energy homeostasis, neuroendocrine function and metabolism. Metabolism 2015; 64: 24-34.
35. Pepys MB, Hirschfield GM: C-reactive protein: a critical update. J Clin Invest 2003; 111(12): 1805-1812.
36. Hirschfeld GM, Pepys MB: C-reactive protein and cardiovascular disease: new insights from an old molecule. QJM 2003; 96(11): 793-807.
37. Danesh J, Collins R, Appleby Pet al.: Association of fibrinogen, C-reactive protein, albumin or leukocyte count with coronary heart disease: meta-analyses of prospective studies. JAMA 1998; 279(18): 954-959.
38. Frohlich M, Imhof A, Berg G et al.: Association between C-reactive protein and features of the metabolic syndrome: a population-based study. Diabetes Care 2000; 23(12): 1835-1839.
