World Obesity Day - March 4th

Ongoing pandemic

According to the Ministry of Health, more than 2 billion people worldwide suffer from obesity and overweight, and on March 4th - World Obesity Day - it is the date when organizations that prevent and treat the disease discuss and share knowledge about the condition.

In a publication in the Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology journal from June 2021, the global spread of obesity was labeled a pandemic, although with a slower onset of cases and harmful effects than the 2009 H1N1 pandemic or the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to endocrinologist Gisele Lorenzoni, combating obesity involves many factors, such as biological and environmental ones. "Many claim that obesity stems from an individual's willpower to control their diet - their social responsibility - in the face of an industry of processed foods and beverages that contribute to overweight," says the doctor.

Obesity is caused by inadequate or excessive eating. "There needs to be a balance between the number of calories consumed and the energy expended throughout the day. If there is not adequate calorie expenditure, fat accumulates," says Gisele. "And, of course, there are also genetic causes, so it needs to be addressed on both fronts," adds the specialist.

In the article from the Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology journal, which compares obesity to another ongoing pandemic, it is explained that: At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, it became clear that there were considerable interactions with the obesity pandemic. For example, it was quickly found that obesity was associated with worse clinical outcomes of COVID-19. On the other hand, there are suggestions that the COVID-19 pandemic led to worsening diets, inactivity, and interruptions in weight loss treatment, especially in underprivileged sectors of society.

"In other words, this difficulty in the most disadvantaged areas was precisely in having a healthy, proper diet, where unemployed families had to resort to processed foods - which are cheaper - or even fast foods, which further aggravate health and increase an individual's weight," explains the endocrinologist.

What we need to alert with all this situation is that obesity is a chronic disease and needs to be treated as such. "We are already making positive strides with various medications approved that help combat overweight, and there is also a post-COVID awareness among a large part of the population, which has been paying more attention to physical activities, good nutrition, and their well-being.

"Obesity is a major health problem and should be treated as a chronic disease, associated with leading causes of death, such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes," says Gisele.

The president of the Brazilian Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism (SBEM), Paulo Miranda, reinforces this fact in a recent interview with Veja magazine, where he stated that "There is still a belief, even among health professionals, that obesity is a behavioral deviation, and patients are held responsible for it. But we are talking about a chronic and multifactorial disease, influenced by genetics and lifestyle," he said.