1 in 2 adults is obese! Peking University Health Science Center helped 3,000 people lose weight, losing more than 67 tons of fat in 10 years

Unbearable weight! According to statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2016, approximately 1.9 billion people over the age of 18 worldwide suffered from overweight or obesity, with one in four people suffering from obesity. Looking at the domestic situation, according to the results of the Taiwan National Nutrition and Health Status Change Survey (2015-2018), the overweight and obesity rate of adults over 18 years old increased from 45.4% to 47.1%. One in every two adults has obesity problems, and the obesity rate is gradually increasing.

Director Wang Wei of the Weight Management Center of Peking University Health Science Center shared the joy of patients who successfully lost weight at the Thanksgiving Concert. (Photo provided by Peking University Hospital)

Taiwan's obesity rate among young adults is high, which may become a health crisis

It is worth noting that the obesity rate among young and middle-aged people in Taiwan is relatively high, which may become a health crisis. The Weight Management Center of Taipei Medical University Hospital was established in 2007 and is now in its 13th year. It has performed over 3,000 bariatric surgeries, 70% of whom were under 40 years old, indicating that obese patients are concentrated in young and middle-aged people.

Further analysis shows that the proportion of young and middle-aged patients has decreased in the past five years, while the proportion of middle-aged and elderly patients has increased. Doctors said that the fitness trend has prompted young and middle-aged people to lose weight through conservative methods such as exercise and dieting, and the rise of the concept of happy living in old age has made middle-aged and elderly people begin to pay attention to their own health.

Peking University Health Science Center Weight Management Center has performed 3,122 bariatric surgeries, and the number of middle-aged and elderly patients undergoing bariatric surgery has increased

Director Wang Wei of the Weight Management Center of Peking University Health Science Center said that the center has performed 3,122 weight loss surgery cases since 2007, 70% of which were people under the age of 40, and 30% were people under the age of 30, indicating that obese patients tend to be concentrated in young and middle-aged groups.

Further analysis of weight loss surgeries in the past 10 years showed that 73% of patients under the age of 40 were under the age of 40 between 2010 and 2014, while the number dropped to 66% between 2015 and 2019. It is worth noting that the proportion of middle-aged and elderly patients undergoing weight loss surgery over the age of 55 increased from 2.6% to 5.4%, indicating that the proportion of young and middle-aged people undergoing weight loss surgery is showing a downward trend. On the contrary, the number of middle-aged and elderly patients undergoing weight loss surgery has increased.

25-year-old Xie Renkai is engaged in music performance. He weighed 138 kilograms before losing weight. (Photo provided by Peking University Hospital)

Director Wang Wei said that with the fitness and sports trends in vogue, many young people suffering from obesity will first seek conservative treatments including exercise, dieting, and medical medication, leading to a decrease in the rate of weight loss surgery among young and middle-aged people. On the other hand, the concept of living a happy life in old age has emerged, and the national health insurance benefits have relaxed the criteria for obesity surgery, with the age raised from 55 to 65 and the BMI index lowered from 35 to 32.5, which has increased the willingness of middle-aged and older people to undergo weight loss surgery.

Obesity can lead to diabetes, cardiovascular disease, apnea, infertility, etc.

In addition to causing health problems such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, apnea and degenerative arthritis, studies have shown that being overweight or obese may also reduce sperm quality and quantity, increase the risk of infertility, and become one of the potential factors for declining birthrates. It is recommended that people who are planning to become pregnant should not only grasp the appropriate childbearing age, but also maintain a normal weight and body fat to increase the chances of pregnancy.

The easiest way for people to determine whether they are overweight or obese is to calculate the body mass index (BMI) (weight (kg) / height2 (meter squared). If the BMI is greater than 24, it is overweight; if the BMI is greater than 37.5 or the BMI is greater than 32.5 but there are obesity-related complications, it is morbidly obese and should be vigilant and seek medical attention immediately.

Peking University Health Science Center helped 3,000 people lose weight, reducing more than 67 tons of fat in 10 years

The Weight Management Center of the Peking University Health Science Center has helped more than 3,000 people suffering from obesity regain a healthy life. Each patient can lose an average of about 23 kilograms of fat one year after the operation. In the past 13 years, a total of more than 67.4 tons of fat has been lost, which is equivalent to the total weight of 4 buses.

As for the results of weight loss surgery, 86% of patients had significant improvement in blood sugar, and their diabetes was well controlled, which can prevent its complications; 75% of patients had decreased blood lipids, which was well controlled and prevented cardiovascular diseases; 80% of patients had decreased blood pressure, which was well controlled and prevented related diseases; 87% of patients had improved sleep apnea, which improved their sleep quality and mental state; most patients can reduce joint load and improve their mobility due to weight loss.

Weight control is a lifelong career that is easier said than done. The Weight Management Center of Peking University Health Science Center attaches great importance to the postoperative care of patients. It holds activities every year to help patients maintain their weight loss results in the long term, so that they will not be alone on the weight loss journey.

The Weight Management Center of the Affiliated Hospital of Peking University Health Science Center held a Thanksgiving Concert today, the 5th, and invited fellow practitioners including magic teacher Chen Rong and Xie Renkai from Jack Music Company to attend. Xie Renkai, who works in the music industry, shared his joy after losing weight through singing and music.

25-year-old Xie Renkai is engaged in music performance. He once studied in a music school in Japan. Because he showed health warning signs during the physical examination while in school, his instructor was very worried and asked him to face the weight problem again. After returning to the country, he went to the outpatient clinic of Director Wang Wei of the Weight Management Center of the Peking University Health Science Center for treatment and underwent sleeve gastrectomy. He is 180 cm tall. After two years, his weight dropped from 138 kg to 75 kg, successfully losing 63 kg. His BMI dropped from 44.7 to 23.1. Working out three times a week turned him into a handsome man, and he looked even more stylish on stage.