Obesity

Lauren Garfield explores the increased use of GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs to combat obesity and the potential impact on underwriting.

In this article series, the Munich Re medical team examines recent innovations in the field of medicine that are of particular interest to life and disability insurance carriers. The first topic is the new drugs capturing headlines for their promise in the treatment of obesity. 

Could the pandemic weight-gain observations simply be an extension of the trends already occurring?
 

Millions of overweight and obese individuals are at increased risk of non-communicable diseases and early mortality than the non-obese. RGA's Hilary Henly explores what insurers need to know about the consequences of rising obesity rates and dietary trends across the globe.

Rates of diabetes, heart disease, respiratory disorders, certain cancers and other non-communicable diseases are increasing globally, and a growing body of evidence links lifestyle behaviors, such as physical inactivity, poor nutrition and smoking, to the increase.

For years, sweets were marketed as innocuous treats for kids whose only drawback was cavities if you did not brush your teeth properly. 

Applicants’ self-disclosed Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) status as well as body mass index (BMI) are important risk factors for morbidity and mortality in both accelerated and traditional (full) underwriting processes. In combination with self-disclosed smoking and medical history (diabetes, hypertension, heart failure, high cholesterol), which was discussed in a previous issue of Contingencies,[1] these conditions constitute a majority of the leading medical inputs to the risk-assessment process.

The United States has enjoyed a trend of steadily improving age-adjusted population mortality over the past 80 years. However, two epidemics, obesity and opioid drug abuse, are threatening the extension of that trend. This issue of Housecalls addresses some aspects of the obesity epidemic.

The body mass index (BMI) linked to the lowest rate of all-cause early mortality is rising, according to a study published in the May 10 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

http://www.physiciansbriefing.com/Article.asp?AID=710871

The global trend for obesity has been accompanied by an increased interest in bariatric surgery. The impact of bariatric surgery can be impressive: after the operation, patients lose weight rapidly and, over time, associated conditions such as impaired glucose tolerance (including type 2 diabetes) and mild hypertension may no longer be evident. But how sustainable are the treatment results and what do they mean for risk analysis in life and disability insurance?

http://www.munichre.com/site/marclife-mobile/get/documents_E1029781525/m...