Lancet study reveals over a billion people face obesity, a known cancer risk factor

A study released today by The Lancet shows that more than one billion individuals globally are now living with obesity, a key risk factor for various noncommunicable diseases, including cancer.  

According to study, obesity rates have doubled among adults and quadrupled among children and adolescents aged 5 to 19 since 1990, with current figures indicating that 43% of adults were overweight in 2022. Despite a decrease in undernutrition rates, it remains a significant concern in regions such as South-East Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Notably, island nations in the Pacific and the Caribbean, as well as countries in the Middle East and North Africa, show the highest combined rates of underweight and obesity. 

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), highlighted the urgent need to address obesity starting early in an individual’s life, through diet, physical activity and care. “Getting back on track to meet the global targets for curbing obesity will take the work of governments and communities, supported by evidence-based policies from WHO and national public health agencies,” he stated in a WHO press release. 

WHO's Acceleration Plan to STOP Obesity, adopted at the World Health Assembly in 2022, has been pivotal in directing country-level action. It outlines core interventions including breastfeeding promotion, school nutrition policies, regulations on marketing to children, fiscal policies to promote healthy diets and the integration of obesity prevention into primary healthcare. 

Dr Francesco Branca, WHO’s Director of Nutrition and Food Safety, emphasised the significant hurdles in implementing policies that ensure access to healthy diets and promote physical activity. "Countries should also ensure that health systems integrate the prevention and management of obesity into the basic package of services," he suggeste in WHO’s press release announcing the release of The Lancet study. 

While the burden of responsibility for a poor diet and lack of physical activity is often placed on individuals, there are complex inherited, physiological and environmental factors that make healthy choices difficult, as highlighted in a UICC podcast by Dr Elisabete Weiderpass, Director of the International Agency for Research on Cancer.  

In particular, commercial determinants of health – the marketing of products such as ultra-processed foods, by companies whose corporate interests often outweigh concerns for global health, can effectively limit an individual’s ability to make healthy choices and contributes to obesity. 

UICC has previously highlighted the link between these commercial interests and millions of cancer deaths, due over consumption of tobacco, alcohol and ultra-processed foods, calling for strong government action against the aggressive marketing of these unhealthy products. 

"Commercial determinants of health are an indisputable force in the global rise of obesity and related cancer risks. It's time to challenge these determinants head-on, by advocating for comprehensive policies that prioritise public health over profit, by fostering environments to support individuals to make choices that contribute to their well-being.” 
– Dr Sonali Johnson, Head of Knowledge and Advocacy, UICC 

UICC is aligned with WHO in urging countries to increase taxation on unhealthy products, enforce marketing limitations, improve product labelling and run public education campaigns.