Beijing News Shell Financial News (Reporter Yu Jinmin) May 11 is the "World Obesity Prevention and Control Day". According to the World Obesity Report 2024 released by the World Obesity Alliance, the proportion of adults with high BMI (overweight + obesity) worldwide will increase from 42% in 2020 to more than 54% in 2035 by 2035, with the prevalence of overweight or obesity in children and adolescents aged 5 to 19 years reaching 39%. The situation of overweight and obesity in the mainland is also not optimistic. According to the survey, the obesity rate of adults in mainland China is 16.4%, while the total proportion of overweight and obesity has exceeded 50%. Among children and adolescents aged 6 to 17 years, the prevalence of overweight is 11.1 per cent and obesity is 7.9 per cent.
Huashan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University. Photo by Beijing News reporter Yu Jinmin
Miao Qing, deputy chief physician of the Department of Endocrinology of Huashan Hospital affiliated to Fudan University, said that obesity is the cause of a variety of diseases, and it must be paid attention to in daily life. Scientific diet and scientific weight loss are very important. Obesity increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, hypertension; Increase the occurrence and development of metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and hyperuricemia; Increased risk of bone and joint damage, breathing problems, such as sleep apnea, etc. Generally speaking, the Body Mass Index, or "BMI", is a commonly used measure of how fat and thin a person is. It is calculated as body mass index equal to weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. Healthy adults aged 18 to 64 in mainland China have a body mass index of 18.5 to 23.9, a body mass index greater than or equal to 24 for overweight, and a body mass index greater than or equal to 28 for obesity.
Obesity is a problem that cannot be ignored, but the cost of weight loss should not be underestimated. Miao Qing said that the current methods of weight loss can be considered from two categories: non-medical means and medical means. Non-medical measures are mainly based on a healthy and balanced diet and regular exercise, so as to reduce the intake of high calories, fat and sugar. Regular exercise, such as brisk walking, jogging, swimming, aerobics, etc.
From the perspective of the pace of life, young people mainly choose to eat healthy by ordering takeout or eating out. According to the data of Narrow Door Restaurant, the average price of the top 10 light food brands in the market is about 26.93 yuan, which is a lot higher than the fast food prepared by workers such as Malatang and Huang Braised Chicken, and is even nearly twice as expensive as snail noodles.
Comparison of the average prices of the top 10 light food brands with the highest number of stores on the market. Source: Screenshot of narrow-door dining eye data
Joining the gym or buying sports equipment is also the first choice for young people to lose weight, and a fitness class of several hundred yuan a year and a fitness annual card of tens of thousands of yuan are actually a lot of expenses. Dr. Miao Qing told reporters that in fact, the "bill" for weight loss can completely achieve "slimming". For example, public resources can be used more, many communities provide free or low-cost fitness facilities, and homemade healthy meals can greatly reduce the cost of takeaway and eating out, such as boiled vegetables, which is actually healthier and more hygienic than takeaway.
Yao Qiyuan, director of the Department of Bariatric Hernia Surgery at Huashan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University, explained the principle of surgical weight loss to patients. Photo by Beijing News reporter Yu Jinmin
Yao Qiyuan, director of the Department of Bariatric Hernia Surgery at Huashan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University, told reporters that when obesity becomes a disease, it is necessary to use medical means to lose weight. Usually medical weight loss methods are divided into drug and surgical treatment, drug treatment needs to be used under the guidance of a doctor, by adjusting metabolism, suppressing appetite, delaying gastrointestinal absorption, etc. to help weight loss. The cost of drugs basically ranges from tens to hundreds of yuan per month. Surgical treatment generally uses gastric banding or gastric bypass, which is suitable for severe obesity patients, and generally costs 50,000 to 100,000 yuan, which is relatively expensive and requires comprehensive medical conditions and better postoperative management. At present, bariatric surgery is mainly performed through laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, which can significantly reduce the volume of the stomach, and can also make you feel full every time you eat a relatively small amount of food, improve the compliance of diet control, and obtain a certain weight loss effect. Clinical studies have shown that reducing the effective volume of the stomach and shortening the absorption segment of the small intestine through surgery can significantly reduce the excess weight of patients, and can also effectively promote the metabolism of obese patients, prevent and alleviate other related diseases.
Yao Qiyuan said that in addition to overweight people who really need to lose weight, there are also many young people who are excessively caught in "body anxiety". In fact, through self-disciplined exercise and reasonable diet, you can do a good job of weight management in most cases, while blindly following trends and drug abuse are infinitely harmful. The key to preventing obesity is to "keep your mouth shut and open your legs", and "eating" and "moving" are the two most important aspects. He suggested that you should maintain an appropriate amount of exercise every day, and if you really don't have a complete time to exercise, you can use the commute and lunch break to keep moving through brisk walking, cycling, etc. By combining "eating" and "moving" and developing good living habits, you can maintain your weight scientifically and reasonably.
Edited by Chen Li and proofread by Zhao Lin