Men take care of their weight, paying attention to the health of the cardiovascular system.

cardiovascular health It’s the factor that has the biggest impact on men when it comes to taking care of their weight (34% of them), while emotional health is the factor that has the biggest impact on women (33%). This follows from Survey on Spanish knowledge and attitudes towards obesityconducted for 3078 people and promoted by Novo Nordisk with technical support from GAD3.

Doctor Mar MalagoN, president of the Spanish Society for the Study of Obesity (SEEDO), however, draws attention to the influence of weight and cardiovascular aspects at certain stages of a woman’s life, such as menopause. Although only 5% of respondents answered that the effect they most associated with menopause – higher cardiovascular riskfor hot flashes (49%), weight gain (30%) and mood changes (16%), the expert clarifies that “in women, and specifically in men menopause periodThere is a drop in estrogen levels, which, among other things, can contribute to the gain of abdominal fat, which increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Of the more than 200 comorbidities associated with obesity (cardiovascular disease, involvement joints, fatty liver, various types of cancer, infertilityd, etc.) The biggest concerns among Spaniards are cardiovascular disease (33%), cancer (19%), pain and joint damage (12%), and depression and anxiety (12%). According to Dr. Malagon, “In addition to being a disease in itself, obesity is also a risk factor for the development of other diseases.” comorbidities or comorbidities. Hence the importance of the population realizing that obesity or overweight is not only a matter of weight, but also of health in general.

Self-diagnosis

Another issue that the survey results reflect is that 75% of the population admit now obesity as a diseasealthough levels of ignorance still remain high, with a lack of information cited by 2 in 10 respondents as one of the main causes of obesity and overweight.

Thus, the causes of obesity are still poorly understood: only less than half of the sample (45%) know about the impact of obesity. genetic factor and 76% believe that the main cause is inadequate lifestyle (poor diet and sedentary lifestyle). This popular belief contrasts with the explanation of the SEEDO President, who clarifies that “Obesity is a disease in which, in addition to lifestyle

many other factors also influence such as genetic, biological, psychological, socio-economic or environmental factors, as well as hours of sleep and stress levels. Hence the importance of seeing a doctor to lose weight.

Exercising (65%) and dieting to lose weight (60%) are measures that most respondents would take to lose weight as their first option, with only 13% being willing to take them. pharmacological treatmentfewer than those who would choose other alternatives such as intermittent fasting (18%). In this regard, the President of SEEDO reminds that “maintaining a healthy lifestyle is necessary, but it is not always enough,” pointing out as a suitable formula for obese people to achieve weight loss that really makes a difference to their health, “ balanced diet, exercise, psychological motivation if necessary and treatment if indicated.

Although 8 out of 10 Spaniards claim that at some point they have exceeded their ideal weight, there is still a lack of knowledge about when the situation arises overweight or obesity (2 out of 10 people don’t know what their healthy weight will be). In fact, while 93% of those surveyed say they know what body mass index or BMI is—a standardized formula that allows you to determine whether you’re above a healthy weight based on your height—and can explain what it means, the reality is… that only 55% of those who They claim to know the concept and explain it correctly.

. On the other hand, fewer than 4 in 10 people (37%) have measured their abdominal circumference at least once, despite its strong association with cardiovascular health.

“Thanks to this survey, because Nordisk We explored the social reality we need to be aware of in order to cope with what the WHO called lgreat global crisis obesity. We feel a responsibility to spread greater knowledge about comorbidities, the causes of this disease and the value that the use of health professionals brings in combating it, which we do through information spaces such as www.laVerdaddesupeso.es.“concludes Alba Ruiz, Director of Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility at Novo Nordisk, Spain.