DioGenes & Hepadip Course
Genomics on Obesity
June 7, 2007, Toulouse
Obesity: definition, clinical aspects,
epidemiology, public health impact
Thorkild I.A. Sørensen, MD,
Dr Med Sci, Professor, Director
Institute of Preventive Medicine
Copenhagen University Hospital
Center for Health and Society
Copenhagen, Denmark
Obesity – outline
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Definitions
Occurrence
Causes
Prevention
Current health problems
Prognosis
Treatment
Public health impact
Obesity – Definitions
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WHO – pragmatic
Functional?
Origin?
Needs for change?
Obesity – Occurrence
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Of what?
How do we measure it?
Is it incidence & persistence
Place, groups & time
Heterogenity – remember!
Obesity – Causes
• Positive energy balance
• What is a cause?
• How do we find causes?
Obesity – Real causes
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Do you know them?
Know or believe?
Genes, of course!
What else?
Identifiable?
Instability?
Obesity – Prevention
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What is it?
What are we doing?
Does it work?
What shall we do?
Obesity – Current health
problems
• What bothers the obese themselves?
• Why do they request help?
• Do they understand their own problems?
Obesity – Prognosis
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What is prognosis?
How do we study it?
Of the condition itself?
Of risk of co-morbidities?
Of dying?
Obesity – Treatment
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What is treatment?
What are the goals?
How do we do it?
Does it work?
How should we do it?
Obesity – Public health impact
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What is public health?
What does impact mean?
Why is it important?
Hierachy of solutions
Obesity – Translational science
• Basic science: let’s understand the reality
• Clinical science: let’s change the reality for
those already sick
• Public health science: let’s change the
reality for those not yet sick
• To achieve the goals we need to translate
the understanding to changes!
MUST BE POSSIBLE
BUT MAY NEED MORE
RESEARCH BASED
ON NEW PARADIGMS?