TEHRAN – More than 50 million people in the country are obese and overweight, which greatly increases the incidence of non-communicable diseases, especially diabetes and high blood pressure, the chancellor of Iran University of Medical Sciences, Abdolreza Pazoki, has said.

Currently, 12 percent of the population is suffering from diabetes and a quarter of people have high blood pressure, which is caused by obesity, he further said, IRNA reported on Saturday.

He went on to note that from childhood to old age, obesity affects people’s health and quality of life and leads to diseases that shorten their life span. In extreme obesity, there is a reduction in life expectancy of up to 20 years.

Obese patients are at risk of 21 cancers and 20 times more at risk of arthritis, heart attacks, and strokes than other people, Pazoki lamented.

He further suggested covering the weight-loss surgeries with insurance.

Earlier in October, the World Health Organization welcomed initiatives taken by Iran to control and reduce the rate of obesity.

Iran is one of the few countries that has integrated nutrition services into the country's health system to control obesity and provides the necessary intervention and services for this purpose, and this program was welcomed by the officials of the World Health Organization.

Obesity worldwide

Obesity is a disease impacting most body systems. It affects the heart, liver, kidneys, joints, and reproductive system.

It leads to a range of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and stroke, various forms of cancer, as well as mental health issues.

In 2021, obesity accounted for approximately 2.8 million deaths from noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, neurological disorders, chronic respiratory diseases, and digestive disorders.

Halting the rise in obesity is essential to combat the growing burden of NCDs and improve health and well-being for all, according to WHO.

Stopping the growing obesity epidemic is one of the 2025 Global Nutrition Targets (for children under 5) and one of the Targets for NCD reduction (for adolescents and adults).

Without addressing obesity, it is not going to be possible to achieve a 30% reduction in premature mortality from NCDs by 2030, one of the key targets of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Currently, no country is on track to meet these targets and the costs of obesity and obesity-related diseases continue to rise.

Global costs are reaching $990 billion per year, which accounts for over 13% of all healthcare expenditures.

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