Abstract
Health risks induced by the temporal course of weight gain were studied. Of 1, 627 male company employees, 437 subjects were selected as follows. The criteria for eligibility were: 1) A subject must have undergone more than 20 health checkups. 2) The subject's weight gain since adolescence must have exceeded 7 kilograms. Four hundred and thirty-seven subjects were selected using these criteria. The average subject's age was 46.2±5.1 (Mean±S. D.) years. Subjects were classified into 3 groups according to the rate of weight gain. As a result, 167 were classified as the rapid weight-gain group (defined as a weight gain of more than 5 kilograms per 5 years), 212 were designated as the moderate weight-gain group (less than 5 kilograms per 5 years) and 58 were assigned to a miscellaneous group (temporal weight loss during the observation period). This miscellaneous group was excluded from further analysis. Comparison between the rapid and moderate weight-gain groups indicated that the prevalence of abnormal fasting blood glucose levels was significantly higher in the rapid weight-gain group than in the moderate group (p<0.01). The Mantel-Haenszel overall odds ratio adjusted for the current relative body weight for the abnormal fasting blood glucose level was 2.86 (95% C. I.: 1.35-6.06). To determine the factors related to the occurrence of abnormal fasting blood glucose levels, stepwise logistic regression was performed by selecting the rate of weight gain, age, weight gain amount and current relative body weight as independent variables. Age and rate of weight gain were shown to be significant variables in abnormal fasting blood glucose levels. Accordingly, the rate of weight gain should be used when assessing the health risk induced by obesity.
