Grant: Operating Grant-PA: INMD Start Up Funds (bridge funding) - New Investigators

Obesity is a known risk factor for diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD), but the risk may not be the same for all obese people. Some obese individuals may actually be at lower risk for diabetes and CVD than lean people. Recent work also suggests that many people may gain weight due to factors that do not directly contribute to the "energy in" and "energy out" equation (diet and exercise). These reasons include sleep duration, environmental toxins, or that age at which your mother gave birth to you and may account for some of the differences in health seen in obese people and may influence their ability to lose weight. The first aim of this project is to determine whether there truly is a healthy obese person. If there is, what factors protect these people from the health problems commonly seen with obesity? Do these healthy obese people benefit from weight loss? If so, how do the presence of traditional or non-traditional risk factors for obesity impact on health and the weight loss achieved? This work will be done using two approaches. First, use of existing large datasets will allow us to answer our research questions more quickly than if we had to collect all new data. We will also be able to look at repeat visits so that we can assess changes over time, to see how different groups of people with obesity develop health conditions. Some datasets have information on causes of death so that we can also determine how different factors relate with this important outcome. Second, working with the Wharton Weight Management Centre will give us a chance to apply our research findings within an existing clinic that has a better-rounded sample than typical research weight loss studies. If there are differences in health and weight loss potential between obese people, this work will help physicians more accurately identify high-risk patients and focus care. It will allow public health officials to improve resource planning and health care cost estimates of obesity.