2023-06-22 11:56:10
What if we changed our perspective on obesity? This issue is often the target of ridicule, linked to the persistent prejudice that being obese is linked to a poor lifestyle or a lack of willpower. Obesity, far from a mere “let it go “, is in some cases a real pathology.
A work published in January 2023, the result of a collaboration between the League once morest obesity, the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm) and the Montpellier University Hospital, reveals a significant increase in weight problems in France. 47.3% of French adults are obese or overweight. If, since 1997, the prevalence of overweight has fluctuated around 30%, that of obesity has gone from 8.5% in 1997 to 17% in 2020. In terms of prevalence, the study highlights differences: l obesity would affect the youngest, women and the less well-off social categories more. Morbid obesity, for its part, has increased nearly sevenfold in twenty-three years.
A complex chronic disease
“ Obesity corresponds to an excess of fat mass and a change in adipose tissue “, defines Inserm. This disease, complex to define, would be linked to interactions between different factors: dietary, genetic, epigenetic and environmental. Eating behaviors and too much sedentary lifestyle, elements often highlighted in the case of obesity, have an impact on this pathology but are not the only ones involved. How else to explain that with a similar lifestyle, some gain more weight than others?
In fact, the role of the environment is increasingly singled out. Exposure to certain pollutants, stress, certain medications, sleep patterns or an imbalance in the hormonal microbiota might have an impact on the development of this disease. Genetic predisposition should not be overlooked either: French teams from Inserm and CNRS have identified many genes involved in weight gain, severe obesity and/or complications of obesity. In fact, an individual is two to eight times more likely to be obese if members of his family are themselves.
The need to be accompanied
Given the variety of issues involved in the development of obesity, health professionals insist on the need for follow-up. It must be adapted to the patient and take into account all aspects of his life, from food to sleep disorders, including psychological difficulties. At the same time, the Cnao is campaigning to have obesity recognized as a chronic disease and have it declared a great national cause.
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A necessary prevention
Inserm considers obesity a chronic disease which becomes irreversible once installed and insists on the need for prevention. Prevention is all the more essential as this pathology is associated with comorbidities such as type 2 diabetes, hormonal disorders, cardiovascular diseases, musculoskeletal disorders, and many forms of cancer. It is also associated with high mortality. More recently, data has shown that those affected were more prone to severe forms of Covid-19.
Anne-Sophie Joly, president of the National Collective of Obese Associations (Cnao), insists on the need to raise awareness of these issues in order to put an end to the stigmatization of obese people. It calls on public authorities to further promote physical activity and a balanced diet, but also to limit sources of pollution and endocrine disruptors, and to fight once morest poverty.
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