Every second German is too fat, every fifth even suffers from pathological obesity (adiposity). Obesity is not only a burden, but also causes physical disorders, some of which may prove fatal. The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) invited 40 experts from all over the world to a discussion forum entitled "Genetics, Diet and Disease - Consequences of Obesity" at Leipzig University. Under the chairmanship of Prof. Dr. med. Wieland Kiess, Director of Leipzig University's Children's Clinic, the scientists discussed the causes and effects of obesity and defined the areas where research is urgently needed.
The researchers attending the forum called for the development of guidelines to support doctors and patients in their struggle against "obesity", which has now reached epidemic proportions. Research into adiposity must be intensified and individual projects brought into combination; in particular, we know too little about the side-effects and consequences of obesity. Wide-ranging studies of affected families will have to be undertaken to form an adequate basis for scientists addressing these questions. It is also not clear how hereditary predisposition and a person's way of life influence the genesis of obesity; comprehensive molecular-biological research is required for this.
The chairman, Prof. Dr. Kiess, declared that "Obesity is the prime pathological risk factor today". For the obese, the chances of contracting an illness are several times higher than they are for slim people. Fat people are not only threatened by cardiovascular disorders, but also by diabetes, arteriosclerosis and renal disorders. If a hereditary predisposition is exacerbated by additional dietary deficiencies and lack of exercise, then the pounds will accumulate almost inevitably. "Today, it is almost normal to be obese", stated Prof. Claude Bouchard, co-publisher of the International Handbook on Obesity and Adiposity during the meeting in Leipzig. "Early diagnosis and treatment of obesity would dramatically reduce the spread of its concomitant diseases", runs the credo of the scientists - "and not least of all to the benefit of all those who, as the insured parties, were financing the health system", added Kiess.
The DFG has already had a so-called "programme group for dietary research" in its central office in Bonn for a year now. This is organised on an interdisciplinary basis with the aim of linking together the scientific efforts currently being made in the field of dietary research, and improving their co-ordination beyond the classical boundaries of the various individual subjects.
Further information on scientific aspects of obesity may be obtained from Prof. Dr. Wieland Kiess, Universitäts-Kinderklinik der Universität Leipzig, tel.: +49/341/97-26000, facsimile: +49/341/9726009, e-mail: kiw@medizin.uni-leipzig.de.
Information may also be obtained from the spokeswoman of the DFG programme group for dietary research, Dr. Heike Velke, tel. +49/228/885-2341, facsimile: +49/228/885-2777, e-mail: heike.velke@dfg.de, and programme director (medicine 2) Dr. Peter Hofmann, tel.: +49/228/885-2325, facsimile: +49/228/885-2777, e-mail: peter.hofmann@dfg.de.