Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity, Its Complications, and Progression in a 10-Year Follow-Up in the Gutenberg Health Study (GHS)
Tanja Falter,
Anita M. Hennige,
Andreas Schulz,
Alexander Gieswinkel,
Johannes Lotz,
Heidi Rossmann,
Manfred Beutel,
Matthias Michal,
Norbert Pfeiffer,
Irene Schmidtmann,
Thomas Münzel,
Philipp S. Wild,
Karl J. Lackner
Affiliations
Tanja Falter
Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
Anita M. Hennige
Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH, TA CardioMetabolism Respiratory, Biberach an der Riß, Germany
Andreas Schulz
Department of Cardiology, Preventive Cardiology and Preventive Medicine, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
Alexander Gieswinkel
Department of Cardiology, Preventive Cardiology and Preventive Medicine, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
Johannes Lotz
Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
Heidi Rossmann
Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
Manfred Beutel
Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
Matthias Michal
Department of Ophthalmology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
Norbert Pfeiffer
Department of Ophthalmology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
Irene Schmidtmann
Institute of Medical Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
Thomas Münzel
DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), Partner Site RhineMain, Mainz, Germany
Philipp S. Wild
Department of Cardiology, Preventive Cardiology and Preventive Medicine, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
Karl J. Lackner
Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
Introduction: Overweight and obesity lead to numerous complications and their treatment. The associated costs represent a health and sociopolitical burden. Therefore, the development of overweight and obesity is of great importance for health policy. Methods: The Gutenberg Health Study (GHS), a population-based observational study of individuals aged 35–74 years in the city of Mainz and the district of Mainz-Bingen, examined current data on the prevalence and development of overweight and obesity and their association with concomitant diseases and medication use. Results: Among men, 48.1% were overweight and 26.3% had obesity. Among women, these proportions were 32.1% and 24.1%, respectively. Elevated body mass index (BMI) was associated with numerous complications, particularly insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, arterial hypertension, elevated triglycerides and low HDL cholesterol, and cardiovascular disease. Accordingly, medications to treat these conditions were used significantly more often in individuals with elevated BMI. During the 10-year observation period, mean weight increased in the population. Both men and women had a moderate but significant increase in BMI compared to men and women of the same age at baseline. Individual weight changes over the 10-year observation period, on the other hand, were age-dependent. In the two younger age decades, weight gain was observed, while in the oldest age decade, mean body weight decreased. Conclusion: These current data confirm that overweight and obesity are associated with relevant complications and that these complications lead to significant use of appropriate medications. The study also suggests that there is a significant trend toward increased prevalence of obesity (BMI ≥30) over the 10-year period.
