China News Service, Beijing, March 27 (Reporter Li Chun) "Obesity is the 'source of all diseases.'" In a recent exclusive interview with a reporter from China News Service, Meng Hua, director of the Weight Loss Diabetes Health Management Center of China-Japan Friendship Hospital, pointed out that the public should Realizing that obesity not only brings risks to personal health, but also causes certain social burdens, a correct "weight concept" should be established.
How big are the overweight and obese people in China? Official data shows that in 2020, more than half of China's adult residents were overweight or obese. This is consistent with the data mentioned by Meng Hua: "In 2020, 16.4% of adults in my country are obese, and 34.3% of overweight people are, adding up to 50.7%. It is expected that by 2030, this number will increase to 65.3%."
The World Health Organization believes that obesity is a complex chronic disease that increases the risk of many diseases, such as heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, sleep apnea, etc., affects bone and reproductive health, and is also related to the occurrence of various tumors. Because of this, Meng Hua called obesity "the root of all diseases."
The impact of obesity and overweight on personal health is increasingly known. However, some people believe that obesity is only a personal matter and has nothing to do with others or society. There are also ridiculing sayings on the Internet: "I am fat and I am justified. I don't eat your rice." On the one hand, the public should not discriminate against obese people; on the other hand, they also need to fully realize the public health burden caused by obesity.
According to WHO, approximately 5 million people worldwide died from non-communicable diseases related to high body mass index (BMI) in 2019. If no measures are taken, it is estimated that the global economic cost of overweight and obesity will reach US$3 trillion per year by 2030, and will exceed US$18 trillion per year by 2060.
Meng Hua pointed out that from the perspective of health economics, on the one hand, reducing the size of the obese group can reduce the consumption of medical resources, thereby reducing the burden of related medications and treatments on medical insurance; on the other hand, without the interference of obesity, the life expectancy of residents is especially It is the extension of healthy life span that can improve the quality of the population and create more value for economic and social development.
At the national level in China, the obesity problem has received much attention. The National Health Commission recently released the 2024 edition of the Adult Obesity Food and Nutrition Guidelines, which provides sample meal plans and nutritional and health recommendations for different seasons, regions, and groups of people, providing guidance for weight control. Fu Wei, director of the Grassroots Department of the National Health Commission, also said at a press conference in the middle of this month that the "Weight Management Year" campaign will be carried out this year for a period of three years.
Meng Hua said that the first level to solve the obesity problem is to intervene in lifestyle. For people who are willing to lose weight, nutritionists will provide guidance on a reasonable combination of daily meals to help them develop good eating habits; rehabilitation doctors will prescribe exercise to clarify which obesity-related problems can be solved through exercise.
The second level is the medical level. The treatment of obesity can refer to the concept of "cocktail therapy" and combine oral drugs, traditional Chinese medicine intervention and other methods to achieve the goals of being most acceptable to patients, with minimal trauma and maximum benefit. If the related problems still cannot be effectively solved, doctors will consider minimally invasive or invasive surgeries such as endoscopic surgery to reduce the impact of obesity on the patient's lifespan.
It is worth noting that the obesity nutrition guide for children and adolescents has also been released recently. Chinese officials have pointed out that obesity intervention in children and adolescents should be the focus of work, and all aspects of the disease should be brought into play to jointly solve outstanding problems. Preventing "little fat mounds" is an important content that China's education, sports, health and other departments at all levels have long paid attention to and continued to make efforts.
As a member of the editorial board of the book "Guidelines for the Prevention and Control of Childhood Obesity (2021)", Meng Hua pointed out that in addition to factors such as genetic genes, the family's "small environment" plays a crucial role in the control of obesity in children and adolescents. Parents should fully understand the harm caused by overweight and obesity, realize the importance of weight control, learn relevant knowledge, and develop a healthy lifestyle for their families, so that they can establish a correct "weight concept" for themselves and their children.
"Obesity control is a very meaningful task," Meng Hua said, "especially under the current background of comprehensively promoting the construction of a healthy China, so that the people can be healthier." (End)