1987 Herman award lecture. A plea for an integrated approach to characterization and management of obesity, type II diabetes, hyperlipidemias, and hypertension: a role for the personal computer?
In the Vermont study of experimental obesity, heterogeneity of the response to overfeeding was a striking finding in normal subjects. There is also poorly defined heterogeneity within the areas of obesity, noninsulin-dependent diabetes, hyperlipidemias, and so-called essential hypertension. These disorders may occur in the same individual and have important mechanisms in common. Thus it is logical to strive for an integrated approach to nutritional and medical management rather than an approach fragmented between medical specialties. The rapidly developing computer programs now adapted to microcomputers hold promise of facilitating an integrated approach both in the clinical and in the investigative field.