Not known to many, obesity affects our voice and obese individuals experience changes in voice features such as hoarseness, murmuring and vocal instability.

Obesity has been a global public health challenge plaguing the world for a long time, and the sketchy history of obesity starts with pocket-sized figurines.

The most famous pocket figurine is dated to about 25,000 B.C., named the “Venus of Willendorf”, and is an icon of obesity and metabolic syndrome for the modern-day endocrinologist¹.

The World Health Organization defines obesity as “abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to health” ².

Currently, 800 million people worldwide live with obesity³.

People with obesity are at greater risk of suffering from chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and certain cancers.

People with obesity are twice as likely to be hospitalized if tested positive for Covid-19. Obesity is also a risk factor for complications of Covid-19³.

Not known to many, obesity affects our voice and obese individuals experience changes in voice features such as hoarseness, murmuring, vocal instability etc⁴.

Additional weight interferes with abdominal breath support for voice production and affect endurance.

In extreme cases, it may affect vocal resonance as the extra weight may significantly reduce the lumen (space) of the pharynx above the glottis.

Excess weight can exacerbate the effects of gastroesophageal reflux and can cause hoarseness in the voice⁵.

Voice is essential and acts as a primary tool for communication. Social activities or interactions with other people will be affected and restricted if we have voice disorders⁶.

In conjunction with this year’s theme for World Obesity Day, “Everybody needs to act”, here are some actionable actions that all of us could do to help overcome the challenges of obesity.

We can start by limiting unhealthy foods (high fat or fried foods, refined grains and sweets, potatoes, red meat, processed meat) and beverages (sugary drinks).

Increasing our physical activity and limiting television time, screen time, and other “sit time”. Besides that, improving sleep and reducing stress can prevent obesity as well⁷.

Combating obesity is everybody’s responsibility. We all need to come together to drive towards a healthier, happier and longer life.

References:

1. Seshadri KG. Obesity: A Venusian story of Paleolithic proportions. Indian journal of endocrinology and metabolism. 2012;16(1):134-5.
2. World Health Organization. Obesity 2022.
3. World Obesity Day. Obesity Fact Sheet 2022.
4. da Cunha MG, Passerotti GH, Weber R, Zilberstein B, Cecconello I. Voice feature characteristic in morbid obese population. Obes Surg. 2011;21(3):340-4.
5. Sapienza CM, Hoffman B. Voice disorders. 3rd ed. San Diego, CA: Plural Publishing; 2018.
6. Cantor Cutiva LC, Vogel I, Burdorf A. Voice disorders in teachers and their associations with work-related factors: A systematic review. Journal of Communication Disorders. 2013;46(2):143-55.
7. Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health. Obesity Prevention Strategies 2022.

(Dr Patrick Peng Wee Yao, Prof. Dr. Moy Foong Ming and Prof. Dr. Victor Hoe Chee Wai bin Abdullah, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya.)