How obesity affects the immune system, kidneys, and liver diseases

How obesity affects the immune system, kidneys, and liver diseases

What are the effects of weight loss on natural killer cell function, the first line of immune defense against cancer, kidney function, and fatty liver disease?

In the ABC of the health effects of obesity, I is immunity.

The SOS trial followed the fate of thousands of bariatric surgery patients for 10 to 20 years compared to a control group who maintained their weight. People who surgically lost about 20 percent of their body weight not only lived longer thanks to less diabetes and cardiovascular disease, but they also developed fewer cancers. This may be because antitumor immunity appears to be influenced by body weight.

Natural killer cells are the immune system’s first line of defense against cancer cells and many viral infections, but “their function is severely impaired in obese people.” Obese people were randomly placed into a weight loss program. The researchers found that participants’ natural killer cell function significantly reactivated within just three months. However, the program includes an exercise component, and physical activity itself can increase natural killer cell activity, so it is difficult to determine the effects of weight loss itself.

At the other end of the immune spectrum, obesity is suspected to be a risk factor for the development of multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease. This suggests that obesity is associated with the worst immune function. This means they are underactive when it comes to defending against cancer and infections, and overactive when it comes to certain inflammatory autoimmune conditions.

J stands for jaundice. Thanks to the obesity epidemic, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is now the most common liver disease in developed countries. Fat accumulates not only in the abdomen and thighs, but also in some internal organs. More than 80% of people with abdominal obesity may suffer from fatty infiltration of the liver, and in severely obese people, the prevalence can exceed 90%. This can lead to inflammation, scarring, and ultimately cirrhosis and liver cancer, as seen below and at 2:10 in my video “The Effects of Obesity on the Immune System and Kidney and Liver Disease.” there is. Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis is now the leading cause of liver transplantation in American women.

K stands for kidney. Obesity is also “one of the strongest risk factors for new-onset chronic kidney disease.” Our kidneys compensate for the metabolic demands of excess weight by doing what is called “hyperfiltration” to cope with the extra workload. The resulting increased pressure within the kidneys can damage sensitive structures and increase the risk of kidney failure in the long term.

What about L, M, N, O, P-Z? When explaining letters in sequence, L stands for decreased lung function, M stands for metabolic syndrome, etc. There may even be an X (short for saber finger pain) pain at the bottom tip of the sternum due to the bulging and forward bending of the abdomen.

Considering the myriad of health conditions associated with excess weight, “annual medical costs attributable to obese individuals” amount to nearly $2,000 per year, and obese workers with multiple medical conditions are considered “thin workers.” Your company’s health insurance costs can be up to $10,000 more compared to . ” Beyond just blatant discrimination, this may explain some of the pay disparity that obese employees experience, as companies seek to pass on the cost of “higher health insurance premiums.” Between medical costs and lost productivity due to lost workdays, the total lifetime cost of obesity in children and teens is estimated to exceed $150,000.

By some estimates, the medical costs of obesity in the United States amount to about $150 billion per year, with an additional $50 billion per year expected to be added by 2030 as increasingly heavier baby boomers continue to age. It is said that Some people are completely against it, based on the morbid fact that obese people may not live very long. Just as “the high medical costs of smoking-related diseases are more than offset by the lower survival rates of smokers,” the lifetime medical costs of obese people are lower because they are expected to die much earlier. may become lower. So the real cost may be more in lives than in dollars. How much does being overweight shorten your lifespan? Let’s explore that question next.

If you missed the previous blog posts in my series on the ABCs of obesity, please see the related posts below.

I continue the topic of obesity and weight with these videos: Is the obesity paradox real or a myth? and Friday’s favorite: What is the ideal BMI and waist size?

For more information on the health conditions discussed in this video, please visit our immune function, kidney disease, and liver health topic pages.

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