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 The increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity in the United States and the corresponding incidence of obesity-related comorbidities underscore the need for preventing and treating the condition of obesity rather than focusing solely on its associated health risks. As we know from the literature, obesity is closely associated with the increasing risk of a number of complications that can occur alone or concomitantly. These include hypertension, dyslipidemia, cardiovascular disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, gallbladder disease, respiratory dysfunction, gout and osteoarthritis. And there are still others — certain cancers, for example.41 Chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension and hypercholesterolemia, are frequent consequences of obesity. Data from the National Center for Health Statistics' Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III, 1988-1994) show that 65% of overweight and obese adults (BMI >27) have at least one of these chronic diseases, and 27% have two or more.16 The following chart shows that as BMI increased, so did the prevalence of type 2 diabetes, hypertension and hypercholesterolemia 39,54,70. Epidemiological studies have found a curvilinear relationship between body weight and increasing risk of both mortality and morbidity. In fact, comorbid chronic disease is the major risk.13 
Hypercholesterolemia and Obesity Abnormal levels of blood lipids are associated with obesity.45 Approximately 38% of patients with a BMI of 27 or greater are hypercholesterolemic.16 In addition, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels and HDL/LDL (low-density lipoprotein) ratios are typically decreased in obesity (whereas triglyceride levels are generally increased), leading to greater risk of atherogenesis.47 The Framingham study found that for every 10% increase in relative weight, plasma cholesterol increased by 12 mg/dL.45 The chart below shows that treatment with XENICAL plus diet improved LDL cholesterol levels in patients with baseline values <130 mg/dL compared to placebo plus diet. 
The long-term effects of XENICAL (orlistat) on morbidity and mortality associated with obesity have not been established. Health Benefits of Weight Loss: Dyslipidemia Managing Patients with Obesity-Related Comorbidities | |||||||
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