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Resource Type
Description
More About Obesity-Related Health Problems
A timeline illlustrating the gradual effects of obesity on the body, including diabetes, atherosclerosis, and heart attack.
Obesity-Related Health Problems Background
Over time, obesity can increase levels of glucose and triglycerides in the blood stream. The pancreas tries to compensate for this increase by increasing insulin output. As obesity increases, the pancreas can no longer keep up with adequate insulin production. At this point, the person can develop components of syndrome X, or metabolic syndrome: diabetes, high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, stroke, or heart attack.
From Lecture Two of the 2004 Holiday Lectures Series "The Science of Fat."
Obesity-Related Health Problems Teaching Tips
The animations in this section have a wide variety of classroom applications. Use the tips below to get started but look for more specific teaching tips in the near future. Please tell us how you are using the animations in your classroom by sending e-mail to biointeractive@hhmi.org.
- Use the animations to make abstract scientific ideas visible and concrete.
- Explain important scientific principles through the animations. For example, the biological clocks animations can be used to demonstrate the fundamentals of transcription and translation.
- Make sure that students learn the material by repeating sections of the animations as often as you think necessary to reinforce underlying scientific principles. You can start, restart, and play back sections of the animations.
- Urge students to use the animations in accordance with their own learning styles. Students who are more visually oriented can watch the animations first and read the text later, while others might prefer to read the explanations first and then view the graphics.
- Incorporate the animations into Web-based learning modules that you create to supplement your classroom curricula.
- Encourage students to incorporate the animations into their own Web-based projects.
Resources
The 2004 Holiday Lectures Series "The Science of Fat"
Obesity-Related Health Problems Credits
Animation courtesy of Merck Research Laboratories, Merck & Co., Inc.
Key Terms
nutrition, circulation, obesity, metabolic syndrome, health problems, atherosclerosis, heart attack, diabetes