Is awareness of obesity being lost?

MAINZ: According to Prof Dr Christian Wüster, an endocrinologist in private practice in Mainz, awareness of the disease obesity is increasingly being lost across the board. For the endocrinologist, obesity is one of the biggest health problems in our society. ‘It would be all the more desirable if politicians were to take measures to finally combat the disease successfully. The consequences of obesity have far-reaching effects on society. A high risk of developing certain types of cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and depression are just some of the consequences of obesity,’ says Prof Dr Christian Wüster. The healthcare system is not sufficiently geared towards prevention and screening. This is particularly evident in the case of obesity. Medical services should not only take effect when secondary diseases have already developed.

Prof Wüster (Mainz): ‘The causes of obesity are very different’

A look at the statistics makes it clear just how great the challenge is. Around a quarter of the German population is considered to be morbidly obese. Almost 50 per cent of patients admitted to hospital are overweight. Awareness of obesity seems to be getting more and more lost. It seems to be becoming the norm for people to be overweight. A fatal social development.

‘Essentially, the first step must be to restore the lost awareness of body weight. The medical profession also has a role to play here. This is the only way we can get obesity under control. Of course, it’s about changing our diet and taking more exercise. But the main thing is to find out the individual causes of obesity,’ says the Mainz endocrinologist.

‘Finding out the individual causes of obesity’

There is indeed no single cause of obesity. Stress and depression can also be cited as central causes of obesity. They are side effects of our high-performance society. Drugs that are used to combat symptoms are a cause of obesity: psychotropic drugs, beta blockers, corticosteroids, to name but a few. However, metabolic diseases can also be the cause of obesity. An underactive thyroid gland, Cushing’s syndrome, which describes an overactive adrenal cortex, or even a brain tumour can lead to obesity. Patients with these diseases often suffer particularly from their obesity. It is not uncommon for them to be wrongly accused of having caused their own obesity through poor diet. If a person is diagnosed with obesity, endocrinological causes must first be ruled out.

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