Obesity: a clinician’s perspective

Abstract

I am sometimes referred to as a medicine/geriatric specialist, but I credit geriatricians with a lot more smarts with the elderly (osteoporosis, cognitive decline, movement limitations, social interaction) than I do. But I might call myself an internal medicine/metabolic syndrome doctor, given the size and shape of my referral population. In Roman times, it was a sign of success and wealth to be overweight. I remember seeing a statue on top of a sarcophagus (of the occupant), who in life was clearly obese. It was also a defence against disease and famine, which were unpredictable in occurrence and life-threatening in severity. Intermittent war, blight, and social upheaval made the lot of our ancestors quite grim.