By: Sylvain Charlebois
The global obesity epidemic is escalating at an alarming rate.
A recent study published in The Lancet reveals that over a billion people worldwide were living with obesity in 2022. Obesity has more than doubled among adults and quadrupled among children and adolescents since 1990.
Forty-three per cent of adults were overweight in 2022, and the report suggests that obesity is now viewed as a more significant global health risk than hunger.
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The situation is projected to worsen. According to the World Obesity Federation’s 2023 atlas, by 2035, 51 per cent of the global population — over four billion people — will be classified as obese or overweight. This shift in focus from hunger to obesity indicates that the world is not necessarily running out of food, but rather facing a complex issue of food distribution and consumption.
Hunger has always been an issue of unequal distribution, while the rising global obesity risks suggest a more intricate problem.
Canada is not immune. The obesity rate in our country ranges between 30 to 33 per cent, depending on the source, with the overweight rate also exceeding 30 per cent in many reports.
The Lancet’s call to action is a serious one. Experts argue that the issue is closely related to the accessibility of ultra-processed foods. In response, the Trudeau government has implemented several measures since 2015, including new front-of-packaging regulations set to take effect in 2026 to help consumers identify products high in fat, sugar, or sodium.
Additionally, Bill C-252, currently in the Canadian Senate, aims to restrict food and beverage marketing directed at children. While it is too early to assess the impact, these measures represent a step in the right direction.
Many experts had high hopes for a significant change with the introduction of the most recent food guide. But despite being more than five years old, the guide has not been able to reverse the trend of increasing obesity rates. Although COVID-19 and other factors have contributed to the decline in Canadian life expectancy — from 82.3 years in 2019 to 81.3 in 2022 — obesity is a known risk factor for premature mortality and increased medical needs throughout life.
Obesity is complex, with factors such as poverty, education, access to health care, and lifestyle all playing a role in determining an individual’s risk. One emerging trend is the increasing use of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, originally designed for diabetes management, for non-medical weight loss purposes in the Western world. The impact of obesity on COVID-19 mortality rates has also brought attention to these drugs as potential solutions for weight loss.
The recent departure of Oprah Winfrey from the WeightWatchers board, coupled with her admission of using a GLP-1 drug, led to a 20-per-cent drop in the company’s shares. This news, along with the decreasing shares of snack food companies like Mondelez, PepsiCo, and Nestle, indicates a growing concern in the industry about the impact of these drugs on consumer behaviour.
With projections suggesting that nearly 25 million Americans will be using these drugs by 2032, the industry is closely monitoring the situation. In Canada, while official numbers are not available, there was a shortage of Ozempic for a while, highlighting a growing demand.
Policy decisions will undoubtedly influence the demand for these novel drugs. The new Pharmacare bill introduced in Parliament last week did not include these drugs, but it will be interesting to see whether governments will view them as a solution to the obesity problem.
Our current approach to addressing obesity is not yielding the desired results. As with many other health challenges, the solution may once again emerge from Big Pharma.
Sylvain Charlebois is a professor and senior director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University and co-host of The Food Professor podcast.
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Guest column: Canada and the world are getting fatter
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08.03.2024
By: Sylvain Charlebois
The global obesity epidemic is escalating at an alarming rate.
A recent study published in The Lancet reveals that over a billion people worldwide were living with obesity in 2022. Obesity has more than doubled among adults and quadrupled among children and adolescents since 1990.
Forty-three per cent of adults were overweight in 2022, and the report suggests that obesity is now viewed as a more significant global health risk than hunger.
Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.
Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.
Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.
The situation is projected to worsen. According to the World Obesity Federation’s 2023 atlas, by 2035, 51 per cent of the global population — over four billion people — will be classified as obese or overweight. This shift in focus from hunger to obesity indicates that the world is not necessarily running out of food, but rather facing a complex issue of food distribution and consumption.
Hunger has always been an issue of unequal distribution, while the rising global........
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