CCTV news (Reporter: Pan Cong, Zhao Yanling, production intern Li Ziyu): May 11th is World Obesity Prevention Day. The “Enough Science” column has a remote interview with Beijing Union Medical College on the relationship between obesity and diabetes and other related topics. Professor Xiao Xinhua, the chief physician of the endocrinology department of the hospital, what advice will he bring to you?
CCTV reporter: What is the definition of obesity and what are the harms of obesity to the body?
Xiao Xinhua: Obesity has become an epidemic. The most widely used clinical judgment of obesity is body mass index. What is body mass index? It is a ratio obtained by dividing the weight (kg) by the square of the height (m²). A BMI greater than 25 is called overweight, and a BMI greater than or equal to 28 is called obesity. At the same time, if the waist circumference of men exceeds 85 cm and the waist circumference of women exceeds 80 cm, it is called central obesity.
Why is the topic of obesity getting more and more attention? First, obesity is closely related to diabetes. Secondly, obesity is also related to cardiovascular disease, which significantly increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, and it is also closely related to tumors. Obese people have a significantly higher probability of developing tumors, such as colon cancer.
CCTV reporter: Why does obesity lead to diabetes? What other diseases can obesity cause?
Xiao Xinhua: We can see from the epidemiological data that the number of people with diabetes in China is increasing rapidly. From the perspective of the incidence trend, China will still be the country with the largest number of people with diabetes in the world in the next 20 years.
Why are there more and more people with diabetes? The pathogenesis of diabetes, one is insulin resistance, and the other is β-cell dysfunction.
In recent years, the number of diabetic patients in our country is increasing, which is related to the growing number of obese people. Why are obese people more prone to diabetes? Because eating too much food can stimulate insulin secretion, repeated stimulation of insulin secretion can lead to hyperinsulinemia. Not only does weight gain cause an increase in insulin, but it can also cause insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is an important pathological mechanism of diabetes. Insulin resistance can cause some chronic inflammation in the body, which can increase blood sugar and eventually lead to diabetes; it can also cause damage to cardiovascular endothelial cells, which can lead to cardiovascular diseases.
CCTV reporter: Is diabetes an “exclusive” disease for fat people?
Xiao Xinhua: Obese people are nearly twice as likely to develop diabetes than normal-weight people. Obese people have a significantly increased risk of diabetes, but there are also some people with diabetes who are not fat, such as type 1 diabetes, most of them are thin. Therefore, diabetes is not exclusive to obese people. There are some thin patients whose beta cell function is relatively poor. Due to genetic factors and other factors, even if they are not obese, they are prone to diabetes.
CCTV reporter: How to effectively prevent obese people from developing diabetes?
Xiao Xinhua: One of the important reasons for obesity has a lot to do with unhealthy daily habits. For example, some people usually eat more, exercise less, and are stressed in all aspects. Reversed circadian rhythms and staying up late will all cause obesity. Pay attention to diet, exercise more, and develop a healthy lifestyle can effectively reduce obesity. People often ask, what to eat will reduce the incidence of diabetes? In fact, there is no one best diet. But one thing is for sure, and that is to reduce your overall energy intake. Try to control the frequency and weight of snacks. Young people should give up the habit of drinking sugary drinks, and have a diversified diet to ensure adequate intake of vegetables and fruits; carbohydrates can be eaten, but try to eat as little as possible; It is very important to maintain a balanced diet; also, be sure to exercise. The way of life is to keep your mouth shut and let go of your legs.
Regular exercise, half an hour of exercise every day, at least 150 minutes to 200 minutes of exercise a week. And it must be continuous, regular, and gradual movement in order to produce a certain effect.
In addition, try to avoid prolonged sitting, get up and move for 30-60 minutes after sitting; try to control the time for watching electronic products within two hours a day; at the same time, ensure adequate sleep.
CCTV reporter: Are both obesity and diabetes genetic predisposition?
Xiao Xinhua: It should be said that there is a certain genetic predisposition. Studies have found that parents with diabetes have a significantly increased risk of developing diabetes in their children. Likewise, if both parents are obese, their children are more likely to be obese.
The genetic characteristics of diabetes. If a father has diabetes, his children are at a higher risk of developing diabetes. If a mother has diabetes, their children are at a higher risk. If both parents have diabetes, their children have a higher risk of diabetes. The risk of diabetes is higher. At the same time, obesity also has such a law.
Although both obesity and diabetes are related to heredity, it does not mean that their children will be obese or diabetic. As long as they develop healthy living habits, regular life, and regular exercise from an early age, the children of these patients can be completely avoided, or the risk of diabetes or obesity can be greatly reduced. (Proofreading Lou Hao)