Why We Are Here Today

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Why We Are Here Today?
Reality Coalition Co-Chair Louis J. Aronne, MD,
FACP
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How Obesity Causes DiseaseThe Fat Cell A
Multiendocrine Organ
Hypertension
á Lipoprotein Lipase
Type 2 DM
á Lactate
á Angiotensinogen
Inflammation
Dyslipidemia
á IL - 6
á Fat Stores
Arthritis
á Leptin
á FFA
á Insulin
Type 2 DM
á TNF- a
áResistin
á Adipsin (Complement D)
Thrombosis
áEstrogen
á Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1 (PAI-1)
?Adiponectin
ASCVD
DMdiabetes mellitus FFAfree fatty acid
PAI-1plasminogen activator inhibitor-1
TNF?tumor necrosis factor alpha
IL-6interleukin 6. Slide After Dr. G Bray
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Is Modest Weight Loss Enough?Yes! Modest Weight
Loss Drastically Reduces Visceral Fat
Before weight loss (95 kg, BMI 32)
After 10 kg weight loss (85 kg, BMI 29)
From Després J-P. Baillières Clin Endocrinol.
19948629. With permission.
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Impact of Weight Loss on Risk Factors
Naaso Modest Weight Loss
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1. Wing RR et al. Arch Intern Med.
19871471749-1753. 2. Mertens IL, Van Gaal LF.
Obes Res. 20008270-278. 3. Blackburn G. Obes
Res. 19953 (Suppl 2)211S-216S. 4. Ditschunheit
HH et al. Eur J Clin Nutr. 200256264-270.
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The Grand Canyon of Care in Treating Obesity
Lifestyle
Bariatric Surgery
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Why Were Here Today

• Unrealistic approaches to weight management hurt
  U.S. businesses and their employees
• Businesses want and need real solutions to
  support employees in achieving and maintaining a
  healthy weight
• Employees want real help to control their weight

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The Facts

• Obesity outranks both smoking and drinking in
  terms of increased health costs.1
• Projecting from current research, the cost of
  obesity to a 5,000 person company is over a
  million dollars per year.2
• Each year an estimated 39 million work days are
  lost to obesity related illness.3

1. Thompson D, Edelsberg J, et al. Estimated
economic costs of obesity to U.S. business. Am J
Health Promot 199813120-7 2. Finkelstein EA,
Fiebelkom IC, Wang G. National Medical Spending
Attributable to Overweight and Obesity How Much
and Whos Paying? Health Aff, www.healthaffairs.or
g. 2003. 3.Wolf AM, Colditz GA. Current
estimates of the economic impact of obesity.
Obesity Res 1998697-106.
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What Can Employers Do?

• Focus attention on the rising cost of obesity and
  its impact on the well-being of working
  Americans, labor productivity and financial
  performance
• Implement solutions to address the burden of
  overweight and obesity on employers and employees

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What Can We Do?

• We can invite the nations employers to join the
  efforts of the Reality Coalition and take an
  active role in advocating sound weight loss
  principles for employees