About 1 billion now affected by diabetes, obesity: Experts pinpoint culprits

Besides corruption, there are other conditions plaguing the Philippines — and among these are obesity and diabetes.

Obesity is a growing health challenge not only in the Philippines, but in the entire world, with about a billion people affected all over the planet, Novo Nordisk general manager Wei Sun told DAILY TRIBUNE and other press at a recent media conference in Pasay City.

According to the Food and Nutrition Research Institute, 39 percent of Filipino adults — or nearly four out of 10 aged 20 to 59 — are obese. Four out of 10 Filipino adults are obese and also one out of eight adolescents as well, reported Joweeh Liao, director for Health Business Unit, Finance, Property and Store Development of Watsons Philippines.

“I spoke with a pediatric endocrinologist as well… and we often saw from the younger children that even as young as three to five years old, there is obesity. I understand that in the Philippine culture, people like chubby babies are cute and maybe you don’t pay too much attention to it in terms of obesity, but being a healthy baby,” Liao explained further.

More than just affecting how people look and people’s perception that “chubby” is “healthy,” obesity is closely linked to serious illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes, both of which continue to place a heavy burden on Filipino families and the healthcare system, said Watsons Philippines in a statement.

“It goes much more beyond the look and it’s much more fundamentally about health because from the studies, we also see that obesity is often linked to over 200 different diseases and some of the diseases are very familiar like diabetes. There’s a very clear link between diabetes and obesity,” Liao warned, backed by her company’s 100-year history, 25 of which are dedicated on diabetes research.

“Obesity and diabetes, cardiovascular diseases like heart failure or a heart attack, knee diseases, sleep apnea and so on. So it’s linked to quite a number of different diseases, we see the correlation.”

Obesity, diabetes:

Underlying factors

According to Liao, latest government data (2023) showed that “contributing factors” for the continuous rise of both obesity and diabetes include genetics and lifestyle.

“If the parents are obese, there is a high likelihood for the children to be obese,” she shared. “There’s lifestyle as well. Many of us are sitting in front of the computer, our desk the whole day and we hardly stand up and take a walk.

“And a lot of our nutrition as well in the Philippines, like many other markets, there’s a lot of fast food and there’s a lot of processed food or overly processed food and that doesn’t really help with healthy living.”

Urgent call for action

Acknowledging that obesity and diabetes are “a crisis affecting not only individual patients, but the whole community,” health and wellness company Watsons Philippines partnered with healthcare company Novo Nordisk to offer free obesity screenings in select Watsons stores. The initiative aims to promote early detection, raise awareness and provide guidance on managing obesity and its related health risks.

“We believe good health should be within reach for every Filipino. Partnering with Novo Nordisk strengthens our commitment to making preventive care more accessible and affordable. By offering free obesity screenings in our stores, we empower families with the knowledge and tools to take control of their health and live healthier lives,” stated Liao.

For Novo Nordisk, the collaboration is aligned with its global “Truth About Weight” campaign, which promotes awareness, combats stigma and supports science-based approaches to obesity care.

“Obesity can greatly affect a person’s quality of life, which is why we at Novo Nordisk, in partnership with Watsons Philippines, are committed to raising the awareness and understanding of the public about obesity. Through the screening initiative, we aim to make screening for obesity more accessible, provide a more comprehensive assessment of a person’s obesity risk and guide them in taking control of their well-being,” Sun said in a statement.