Weight Loss

Biography

Biography: A.P.J. Houdijk MD PhD

Abstract

The treatment of the world-wide obesity epidemic remains a problem. Despite many new approaches targeted at dietary improvement and restriction combined with increased physical activity programs, obesity numbers are rising. Body mass index (BMI) and weight assessment are frequently used to monitor weight loss programs. BMI and weight are influenced by weight gain or loss from body stores that have significant different effects on health. An increase in healthy muscle mass as a result of physical activity will obscure the loss of unhealthy visceral fat (VF) and despite health gain will reduce adherence to the program. In recent years much progress has been made on the causal factors involved in the benefit of muscle and the down side of VF in relation to health risks. Muscle has to be regarded as a hormone-producing organ influencing fat and glucose metabolism and VF induces an inflammatory state causing the metabolic syndrome. Health risk is dependent on the balance between muscle and VF. The measurement of VF is important in risk profiling and in follow up of interventions. Combining VF measurements with BMI has identified risk sub-phenotypes in surgical patients corresponding to the lean fit, lean unfit, fat fit and fat unfit phenotypes. These new parameters will help to monitor weight loss programs in the context of loss or gain of health in a particular sub-phenotype.