He was 23 years old, a married man with two children and a very busy life. Sitting at the doctor’s office and weighing more than 200 lbs., my father was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. He was devastated and scared by the news, and he suspected there was a genetic factor at play. After all, his uncle had passed away only a few years earlier from diabetes. But he also felt personally responsible for this diagnosis: he was obese, and he was a little uncomfortable when looking at himself in the mirror. As a person at risk of contracting diabetes, I am concerned now more than ever about my own poor eating habits. But I’m also concerned that if this disease isn’t controlled through improved preventative measures, it will overwhelm our country’s health care system in the near future.
When my dad contracted diabetes in 1993, his obesity was just considered an aesthetic problem. Now we know otherwise: Last month the American Medical Association (AMA) elevated obesity to the status of a chronic disease. If you are overweight or obese, you are at higher risk of developing serious health issues including Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, back and joint pains, gallstones, breathing problems and certain types of cancer. This new label is expected to call the condition to the attention of doctors, policymakers, the government and most important, to patients. If obesity is diagnosed, hopefully it can be treated efficiently. More importantly, we should find ways to help prevent its occurrence in the first place, especially in children and young adults.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one out of every three adults (35.7 percent) in America is obese. Obesity is defined by a “body mass index” (BMI), which is a mathematic correlation of body height and weight per square meter. The higher the number, the higher the amount of fat in the body. A BMI greater than 30 is considered clinically obese.
Obesity is an economic burden on our health system. Health care costs for obese individuals are about 40 percent higher than for their healthy non-obese counterparts. The estimated annual health care cost of obesity in 2008 was $147 billion in the U.S. In addition, obesity leads to other serious diseases or conditions. Diabetes alone cost $245 billion to treat in 2012 in the United States. Furthermore, according to the CDC, the treatment costs of both diabetes and obesity are rising. Clearly, funding for prevention has become imperative, especially considering that obesity is not merely a condition anymore.
With the new AMA classification, more effort should be made to prevent or curtail obesity in the United States. Funding should be directed toward research and development of new medications and treatments. At the same time, physicians should be encouraged to discuss risk factors with their patients and design affordable treatment options. Finally, insurance companies should cover expenses for nutritional and fitness counseling to help at-risk patients stay at a healthy body weight.
Today, 20 years after being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, my dad is in the best shape of his life, exercises frequently and follows a healthy diet. Even though he is no longer obese, he still has diabetes and deals with its associated conditions. But he has been able to help others through an initiative to help treat Type 2 diabetes among children in Colombia. He has also encouraged us, his family, to be conscious of our genetic risk of developing diabetes and the danger of obesity.
In the U.S, the problem of obesity requires our full attention, but only time will tell if the new AMA classification is merely upgraded terminology or an impetus for real change.
Melissa Lopez is a graduate intern for Kirstin Matthews, Ph.D., fellow in science and technology policy at the Baker Institute. She is working toward a professional science masters degree in bioscience and health policy at Rice University.