The four killers of the “Deadly Quartet,” high blood pressure, elevated blood lipids, elevated blood sugar, and abdominal obesity, cost the lives of more people every year, yet the latter in particular – the troublesome and, in addition, dangerous belly fat – can be brought under control with relatively little effort.
Abundant belly fat endangers health!
Already around 60 percent of the adult population in Germany are overweight, according to the Robert Koch Institute, i.e. have a BMI (body weight in kilograms/ (height in meters)2) of over 25 (men) or 24 (women). The trend continues to rise despite the high health risk. Obesity increases the risk of serious secondary diseases such as arteriosclerosis, heart failure, type 2 diabetes mellitus, cancer, gout and lipometabolic disorders, some of which can be fatal, especially when they occur together as the Deadly Quartet. Other reasons for obesity treatment:
- As the duration and severity of obesity increases, treatment becomes more difficult.
- The health consequences of obesity (obesity) are not always reversible after weight loss.
Body mass index (BMI)
BMI is the quotient of body weight in kg divided by the square of body length measured in meters (kg/m2). BMI correlates reasonably well with body fat mass and with the risk of adverse effects on health and life expectancy, and has therefore become the accepted unit of measurement.
BMI (kg/m2) Body weight: < 20 – Underweight > 20 – 25 Normal weight > 25 – 30 Overweight > 30 – 40 Obese > 40 – Extreme obesity Above a BMI > 30 (kg/m2), obesity is present and requires treatment because of the high health risk. Calculate your body mass index with our BMI calculator.
Not all obesity is the same
Fat distribution is genetic and differs between men and women. Nutritionists divide overweight according to the body fat distribution into two different groups, which also carry a different risk for the corresponding secondary diseases.
The decisive factor for the health risk is the waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), i.e. the ratio of the circumference of the waist to that of the hips. If the WHR is high, the overweight tends to be more abdominal (android type: “apple shape”) and the risk of developing secondary diseases such as arteriosclerosis, heart failure or type 2 diabetes mellitus is disproportionately higher than with a lower value (gynoid type: “pear shape”).
In men, a WHR of more than 0.95, and in women of more than 0.85 (waist circumference/hip circumference), indicates so-called abdominal fat deposition. The gynoid type or “pear type” occurs mainly in women, while the android type or “apple type” occurs in men. Calculate your waist-to-hip ratio with our fat distribution calculator.
The android type lives more dangerously
Obese and overweight people with android fat distribution have a much higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease and vascular calcification, and in the worst cases, a heart attack or stroke. Conversely, the gynoid type has more problems losing weight. After menopause, abdominal fat often increases in women as well. In both sexes, the health risk increases with the increase of abdominal fat.
Promoting factors for obesity.
- High-calorie diet and physical inactivity.
- Too much alcohol and nicotine
- Psychological stress and rapid weight loss and gain (“yo-yo effect”).
Reducing body fat through long-term dietary changes combined with plenty of exercise is worthwhile for both android and gynoid types, because as the body fat percentage decreases, so does the risk of the above diseases. Plenty of fresh vegetables and fruit, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, sea fish and plenty of mineral water are the cornerstones of a diet that quite simply takes the wind out of the sails of the “Deadly Quartet”.
