OBESITY CHALLENGES AND MANAGEMENT

Obesity is a chronic, systemic, preventable multifactorial disease caused by access and/or abnormal adiposity, negatively impacting the quality of life and reducing longevity. Body mass index (weight/height) is the often-used tool to measure obesity, a person with BMI of 30 kg/m2 or more is called an obese. Clinically obesity is of two types: preclinical obesity -high body fat with no disfunction or significant impairment of the body; and clinical obesity - high body fat with clear clinical manifestations such as functional limitations or organ disfunction (e.g., cardiovascular, musculoskeletal or metabolic disorder). Obesity has emerged as perhaps the most pressing public health problem of our era whose rates are rising at a fast pace, especially among the children. Currently, over 3 billion humans grapple with overweight or obesity. Lancet reports India could have more than 440 million overweight or obese people by 2050, one of the world's highest totals. No single treatment intervention can achieve weight loss goal in isolation. This global epidemic can be tackled only by unity, by teamwork, by applying four pillars: nutritional therapy, physical activity, behavioural changes, medical intervention (anti - obesity drugs and barbaric surgery). Probiotics, the living culture of bacteria (Lactobacillus gasseri, L. plantarum, Bifidobacterium species, Bacillus coagulans) are efficacious in reducing weight loss and related disorders, hence be used by obese individuals. WHO on the World Obesity Day 202654 emphasized that there are 8 billion reasons to act on obesity since this is a global issue affecting people of all ages and regions, and together, we can change the story of obesity? India is facing a growing epidemic of metabolic disorders: obesity and diabetes, and GLP - 1 drugs are one form of treatment. Following the expiry of semaglutide patient on 20th March 2026, over 50 Indian pharmaceutical companies have now launched generic semaglutide drugs (injectable and pills) under different trade names, at all most of the price that multinational companies sold it at, reducing the cost from 11000 to 18000 a month for a pen, to around Rs. 1200 to 4500/month, making it more affordable thus increasing access to these drugs.