The obesity epidemic is intensifying at an alarming rate.
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A recent study published in The Lancet shows that more than one billion people worldwide were living with obesity in 2022. The prevalence of obesity has more than doubled in adults and quadrupled in children and adolescents since 1990.
In addition, knowledge indicates that 43% of adults were obese in 2022.
This report suggests that obesity is now considered a greater global fitness than hunger, indicating a paradigm shift in our collective fear of obese and obese populations.
And it’s expected to get worse.
According to the World Obesity Federation’s 2023 atlas, by 2035, 51% of the world’s population (or more than four billion more people) will be classified as obese or overweight.
This shift in concentration from hunger to obesity indicates that the world is not necessarily running out of food, but rather is facing a complex challenge of food distribution and consumption. Hunger has been a challenge of unequal distribution, while the growing dangers of obesity globally recommend a more complex challenge.
Canada is immune to this trend. The obesity rate in our country varies between 30% and 33% depending on the source, also exceeding 30% in many reports. Some studies even recommend that our obesity rate is now higher than in the United States.
The Lancet’s call to action is serious. Experts say this is very similar to the accessibility of ultra-processed foods.
In response, the Trudeau government has implemented several measures since 2015, adding new regulations on the front of the package that will go into effect in 2026, which will allow consumers to identify products that are high in fat, sugar or sodium. In addition, Bill C-252, recently before the Canadian Senate, seeks to limit the marketing of food and beverages to children.
While it is too early to assess the effect of these measures on the obesity epidemic, they are a step in the right direction.
However, many experts had high hopes for a significant replacement with the arrival of the new food consultant. Despite being more than five years old, the consultant has failed to counter the upward trend in obesity rates, as life expectancy in Canada has declined for 3 consecutive years. years, from 82. 3 years in 2019 to 81. 3 years in 2022.
While COVID-19 and other things have contributed to this decline, obesity is a known threat of premature mortality and increased medical needs across the lifespan.
The complexity of the obesity challenge is obvious. Factors such as poverty, education, access to health care, and lifestyle all play a role in determining an individual’s risk.
An emerging trend is the increasing use of GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic, originally designed for diabetes management, for non-medical weight loss purposes in the Western world. The effect of obesity on COVID-19 death rates has also drawn attention to those drugs as potential answers to weight loss.
Oprah Winfrey’s recent departure from WeightWatchers’ board of directors, along with her admission to using a GLP-1 drug, led to a 20% drop in the company’s shares. This news, along with the declining market share of snack corporations such as Mondelez, PepsiCo, and Nestlé. , which is due to a growing fear within the industry about the effect of these drugs on consumer behavior.
With projections suggesting that about 25 million Americans will use those drugs through 2032, the industry is keeping a close eye on the situation. In Canada, although no official figures are available, there has been a shortage of Ozempic for some time now. highlighting the growing demand.
Undoubtedly, political decisions will influence the demand for these new drugs. The new pharmaceutical care bill submitted to parliament this week does not include such drugs, but it will be attractive to see if governments will accept them as a solution to the obesity problem.
Our current technique for fighting obesity is working as we hope. However, as with many other fitness problems, the solution may once come from Big Pharma.
– Dr. Sylvain Charlebois is Senior Director of the Agri-Food Analysis Laboratory and Professor of Food Policy and Distribution at Dalhousie University
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