Poor diet blamed for rise in metabolic condition

 

The number of overweight Hongkongers with metabolic syndrome, which greatly increases the risk of stroke, has almost trebled in the last quarter of a century, a health expert says.

More than one in four local adults has the condition, which also increases the risk of heart disease and diabetes, according to Dr Dennis Wong Chung-tak.

In 1990, the figure was less than one in 10 - and he believes the growing popularity of Western-style fast food is to blame.

"I believe the main reason for the increase is the change of diet," said Wong, a consultant surgeon at St Teresa's Hospital. "Unhealthy diet and lifestyle leads to obesity - the main cause of metabolic syndrome."

A person has the syndrome if they are overweight and have at least two of five symptoms: abdominal obesity, elevated triglycerides, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, hypertension and impaired fasting blood glucose. The risk of stroke is trebled, while the chance of heart disease and diabetes also rises.

Figures from the Centre for Health Protection show that one-third of local adults are overweight or obese based on their body mass index. The global average is just 14 per cent; for Southeast Asia, it is 3.7 per cent.

Citing figures from a study in the journal Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders last year, Wong said 28.8 per cent of Hong Kong adults could be considered to have metabolic syndrome. It was just 9.6 per cent in 1990.

Cardiologist Ho Hung-kwong said people with metabolic syndrome had a higher risk of blood vessel blockage, which, if occurring in the brain or heart, would result in a stroke or heart attack.

But Hongkongers were becoming more health-conscious and improving their diets in recent years, he said. The rise in patients with the condition could be due to genetic factors or a growing trend for people to have regular health checks, he said.

Wong said patients could reduce metabolic risk factors by losing weight, adding that they should try to lose weight through diet or exercise before considering more radical action.

But another option - weight-reduction surgery - should be considered for those who failed to shed the kilograms by more conventional means, he said.

Wong, who specialises in such procedures, said only about 100 such operations were performed in the city last year. He said patients could undergo bariatric operations, such as laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy - which reduces the stomach from the size of a football to that of a banana.

In Hong Kong, the stomach-reduction operation has a mortality rate of 0.3 per cent and a complication rate of 9 per cent.

 

 

Reference information: www.scmp.com
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30多歲罹糖尿病 胃繞道手術助擺脫

中央社記者龍珮寧台北18日電)30多歲糖尿病患現身，多因家族史自已罹糖尿病，生活受影響。醫師報告最新研究，年輕患者接受胃繞道手術後，術後明顯減重，也能控制血糖。

38歲的徐心榆患糖尿病4年，體重98公斤，過去飲食不偏愛甜食但愛高油脂食物，因有糖尿病家族史，自費檢測發現自已也中獎了，只好乖乖接受治療，但每天要打胰島素針很受不了，試過許多減肥方法，都徒然無功，只好求助醫師。

經過原主治醫師轉介來到敏盛醫院進行胃繞道手術，術後明顯減重同時搭配營養控制及每天走萬步，現在體重降到70公斤以下，擺脫大象、坦克的稱號，現今的自我「非常有自信」。

172公分、34歲的陳玉芳也有糖尿病家族史，103公斤的體重一直瘦不下來，不論是催吐、減肥或運動，胖就是胖，經胃繞道手術1年8個月後，現在體重70公斤，血糖也是正常。

陳玉芳現在可以吃多點但是不能太快，由於家人都是糖尿病患，也讓自已體認到罹患糖尿病及未來發生併發症的可怕，現今控制體重及血糖，避免復發。

台灣代謝及減重外科醫學會理事長、敏盛醫院醫療資深副院長李威傑說，2007年到2013年共收案556名肥胖、糖尿病患者，40歲以上219人、40歲以下337人，分析手術後追蹤研究。

李威傑說，胃繞道術後一年，分析減重、血糖控制效果，40歲以下優於40歲以上，5年後的結果更明顯，特別是40歲以下的患者。

陳玉芳、徐心榆的家族都有糖尿病史，不過長輩卻不能手術，由於二人還在糖尿病早期，還沒有產生其他病變或併發症，而適合手術治療。

參考資料: https://tw.news.yahoo.com/30%E5%A4%9A%E6%AD%B2%E7%BD%B9%E7%B3%96%E5%B0%BF%E7%97%85-%E8%83%83%E7%B9%9E%E9%81%93%E6%89%8B%E8%A1%93%E5%8A%A9%E6%93%BA%E8%84%AB-062614462.html
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