Complications of Obesity

Obesity is a chronic, complex disease associated with a constellation of systemic complications that deeply impact health status and quality of life. Besides being associated with “classical” cardiometabolic complications such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension and ischaemic heart disease, obesity directly and indirectly affects the respiratory, gastrointestinal, urinary, musculoskeletal, reproductive, nervous and immune systems. Increased rates of nutritional deficiencies, psychological disorders, cancer and infections have also been reported in individuals with obesity. Excess visceral adiposity plays a key role, being a major determinant of insulin resistance, haemodynamic changes, mechanical loading, subclinical chronic low-grade inflammation and oxidative stress. Gut dysbiosis has also emerged as a possible link between obesity and its complications. Weight loss interventions may prevent, revert or reduce most complications of obesity. This chapter provides a thorough overview of obesity-related complications, with reference to the mechanisms involved.