Tackling obesity: Time to move beyond “eat less and exercise more” approach

Several pieces of evidence have shown that obesity results in substantial changes in both innate and adaptive immune response and people with obesity are in a state of chronic inflammation. Two things happen in obese patients—firstly, the quantity of fat increases, and secondly, fat gets accumulated in the wrong places. If fat is accumulated in the liver and skeletal muscle, it disturbs metabolism resulting in high levels of insulin in the blood.

The sad reality is that overweight and obesity are connected to more deaths worldwide than undernutrition. Globally today, there are also more people who are obese than undernourished—this occurs in every region. We often neglect childhood obesity by treating it as a mere lifestyle issue. Childhood obesity is sadly linked to a higher chance of obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and debility and even early death in adulthood.

However, in addition to future risks, obese children face breathing problems, a higher risk of fractures, hypertension, early signs of cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes and even depression. Several types of cancers are also connected to being obese, such as cancer of the uterus, gallbladder, liver, kidney, breast, and colon. Common causes of obesity include unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, genetics, lack and inadequate sleep. Some health conditions can also lead to weight gain, and further leading to obesity. These include PCOS, osteoarthritis, hypothyroidism, environment, and psychological factors such as depression. People with a genetic predisposition may find it tougher to maintain a healthy weight.

Medical practitioners usually gather family health history to help detect people at high risk of obesity-related diseases. There are medical help and treatment options available for obese individuals struggling to lose weight on their own. One can start with a primary care physician, who can diagnose the condition and may refer the patient to an obesity specialist. There are dedicated medical teams including obesity specialists, dietitians, and therapists to support during the treatment journey. Sometimes, medications or a weight loss surgery will be recommended based on the individual’s health and body type.

The main aim of weight-loss medications, or anti-obesity medications, is to help strictly follow a low-calorie diet by reducing hunger and the feeling of not being ‘full’ that often arise when trying to lose weight. Weight-loss surgery for obesity may be considered if other weight loss methods have failed. It helps some people lose roughly about 35 percent or more of their excess body weight. We should remember that it isn't a miracle obesity cure and certainly not scalable to be done in millions of people.

Obesity and its related health problems have a significant economic impact on the country’s health care system—including direct and indirect costs. Direct medical costs comprise of precautionary, diagnostic, and treatment services. Indirect costs are related to sickness and death, lost productivity etc.

Productivity actions contain employees being absent from work for obesity-related health reasons, declined productivity even though at work durability, and untimely death. In the last couple of decades, we have seen a dramatic increase in obesity and obesity-related diseases. It is advisable to seek expert opinion from your doctor to address obesity at an early stage to have a healthier life and improve quality of life.