Obesity's Duration Can Increase Disease Risk

Mercy’s Dr. Jeffrey Landsman discusses how duration of obesity can impact your health.

The duration of obesity can raise a person's risk of disease.

It's no secret obesity carries major risks to long-term health. Now, new research shows the duration of one's obesity has a significant impact on the likelihood of developing cardio-metabolic diseases.

According to Dr. Jeffrey Landsman, a primary care provider at Mercy Personal Physicians at Lutherville, these diseases include diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol.

"Being overweight can make you insulin resistant, so your body doesn't respond as well to insulin. And that leads to sugar running higher over time. When your sugar is high, it leads to pre-diabetes and diabetes, which can damage the heart, damage the blood vessels," Dr. Landsman said.

The study illustrates the importance of delaying the onset of obesity. But once obese, it is possible to reduce your cardio-metabolic disease risk with weight loss.

To view Mercy primary care physician Dr. Jeffrey Landsman's interview regarding obesity and related diseases, click here.