According to a recent study, almost half of the tumors diagnosed between 2007 and 2021 are related to being overweight. Due to sociocultural changes, more and more young people are becoming obese. The Beijing government has launched a strategic plan to avoid exorbitant economic expenditure.
Beijing () – Around two in five young Chinese are at risk of being overweight or obese by 2030, with a higher probability of suffering from serious diseases such as cancer.
This is the alarm raised by a group of chinese scientists In a study recently published in the American journal Med. “If we do not radically change the trend of obesity, the incidence of obesity-related cancers will inevitably continue to rise. This will place a huge burden on China’s economy and healthcare system,” Yang Jinkui, one of the authors of the report and an endocrinologist at Capital Medical University in Beijing, told the Global Times.
The team of researchers analyzed more than 651,000 new cancer cases diagnosed in China between 2007 and 2021, and found that nearly 48% were from the 12 types of cancer that the World Health Organization says are linked to obesity.
The study also found that the incidence of cancer in China increased by 3.6% over the same time period, and that the rate of serious illnesses among 25- to 29-year-olds exceeded 15% annually. In other words, young people born between 1997 and 2001 have 25 times more likely to develop obesity-related cancers than those born between 1962 and 1966. And unless timely measures are taken to counter this trend, scientists warn, the proportion of obesity-related cancers in young Chinese will double in the next decade. Predictions that have a good chance of coming true: China is currently one of the countries with a greater number of obese or overweight young people, and the percentage could reach 40% in 2030.
The causes The reasons for this phenomenon are related to the rapid development of the Chinese economy and the sociocultural changes that have affected the Dragon in recent decades. As the standard of living of the Chinese population has improved, people’s eating habits have changed, favouring the consumption of foods of animal origin, refined cereals and highly processed foods. The daily pace has also led more and more families to save time by eating in restaurants, where dishes high in fat, sugar and calories are often served.
The ability to order food through online apps has also contributed to the rise in obesity among teenagers, as it is easier to find junk food at any time.
The tendency towards physical inactivity and a sedentary lifestyle also has an influence, due to the greater amount of time spent in front of electronic devices and the excessive study load, which in turn causes stress, another factor that promotes obesity.
Another aspect that should not be underestimated is genetic inheritance: a child is up to 15 times more likely to be obese if both parents are. Considering that the percentage of Chinese adults overweight continues to increase (although it remains one of the lowest in the world), the situation is quite worrying.
The Covid-19 pandemic and the ensuing national lockdown, which restricted opportunities for outdoor physical activities, also had a significant impact on the phenomenon.
However, unlike in the past, overweight in childhood and adolescence no longer appears to be a predominantly urban problem. A study published in May this year in the Chinese Medical Journal reveals that the number of children and adolescents suffering from obesity in rural areas of China is growing and could even exceed that of their peers in cities by 2027.
The reasons for this reversal of trend are to be found again in the country’s general socio-economic development and the resulting reduction of the gap between rural and urban areas, which has meant that young people in rural areas are exposed to the same risks of developing obesity, but with less access to a diversified diet, adequate health services and proper nutritional education. Even national preventive health measures seem to have little effect in rural villages.
If the situation described so far does not improve, China will face a global crisis between 2025 and 209. economic expenditure estimated at around 218 trillion yuan (28.5 trillion euros). To prevent this, the Chinese government launched a strategic plan to control and prevent obesity in the new generations, with the aim of reducing its annual growth rate by 70% by 2030.
This programme, which involves families, schools and medical institutions, promotes at least three hours of high-intensity physical activity per week and emphasises the importance of a healthy, balanced diet. Interventions include the Happy 10 Minutes project to encourage physical exercise, and the Student Health Education Action and Healthy Children Action Plans to raise awareness among young people about proper nutrition. Some experts believe, however, that a 20% tax on sugary drinks and restrictions on the sale of processed foods to children would be more effective.
In the Third China Obesity Conference (COC2024) held in Beijing in mid-August, Professor Zhang Zhongtao reiterated that despite many efforts already made, many goals remain to be achieved, such as expanding communication channels for prevention and strengthening outpatient interdisciplinary cooperation mechanisms in hospitals. “Faced with these challenges,” Zhang said, “we urgently need to collaborate with a professional-led obesity prevention and treatment network that involves the whole society.”
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