Obesity in Phl may hit 25M by 2030 — doctor

Filipinos suffering from obesity are projected to reach 25 million by 2030, according to a health expert.

Dr. Jesus Fernando Inciong, head of St. Luke's Medical Center (SLMC) Weight Intervention and Nutrition Services, said that one out of 10 Filipinos is currently living with obesity, or an estimated 10 million individuals.

"When you're eating too much, when you're obese, you get more prone to disease-related malnutrition and other lifestyle so-called related diseases," Inciong explained during the launch of SLMC’s new Weight Management Center in Quezon City.

"So we should remember that it's not just weight that we're trying to treat. We're also trying to take a look at current evidence out there that can actually affect the health of our patients," he added.

Inciong also emphasized the importance of lean body mass, which is critical for survival.

"So if we're just thinking of weight as a problem of fat, then we're missing the other side, which is lean body mass. So let's treat the problem with obesity along with increasing lean body mass and protecting lean body mass," he said.

SLMC President and CEO Dr. Dennis Serrano stressed that weight management must be a multidisciplinary service.

"It's a big challenge. Even in the Philippines, being a third-world country, we do have a rising incidence of weight issues. Childhood obesity is one of them," Serrano pointed out.

"And of course, the noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are figuring well into our mortality rates—hypertension, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), diabetes," he added.

Overweight and obesity, which are common risk factors for CVDs, have increased among Filipino adults—from 40.2 percent in 2021 to 57.1 percent in 2023, or five in every 10 adults. Among women, the rate is even higher at six in 10, according to the latest National Nutrition Survey.

CVD remains the leading cause of death in the Philippines. The Philippine Statistics Authority recorded that NCDs were the top causes of death from January to August 2024.

Ischemic heart disease ranked first with 60,253 cases, or 19.8 percent of total deaths, while cerebrovascular disease such as stroke was third with 30,552 cases, accounting for 10 percent of deaths.

Globally, CVDs claim about 17.9 million lives annually, according to data from the World Health Organization.