Chinese medical experts are urging caution in the use of weight-loss medicines and surgeries, advocating instead for weight control through healthy lifestyle changes.

The call was made during the 2024 China Obesity Congress, which began in Beijing on Saturday.

Experts at the congress emphasized the importance of reasonable dieting and appropriate exercise to maintain a healthy weight. The discussions have gained significant attention on Chinese social media, reflecting growing public interest in weight management.

Obesity has become a major global public health concern. According to the World Health Organization, about one-eighth of the global population was obese in 2022. In China, over half of the adult population is overweight or obese, and this figure is expected to rise to 65.3 percent by 2030, potentially incurring 418 billion yuan ($58.5 billion) in medical expenses.

Zhang Yuqing, a senior physician at the cardiovascular department of a hospital affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, highlighted the critical need to combat obesity to reduce the incidence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, diabetes and certain cancers. More than 2 million people die from cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases in China each year.

China is intensifying efforts to raise public awareness about the dangers of obesity, with the government, academic and social sectors working together to promote healthy weight maintenance.

The congress, hosted by China's National Clinical Research Center for Digestive Diseases, was first held in 2021. It is dedicated to ensuring healthy weight levels across the population through standard diagnosis and treatment.

The chairman of the congress, Zhang Zhongtao, advocated an integrated approach to tackling obesity, combining a healthy lifestyle with special medical treatments when necessary to manage conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart failure caused by obesity.

Experts also called for greater attention to childhood obesity, which can have long-term effects on health. Wang Lu, who lives in Shandong province, took her 8-year-old daughter to a hospital for an endocrine examination in June, seeking a solution for the girl's obesity. Following the doctor's advice, Wang helped her daughter adopt a healthier lifestyle, cutting out sugar and fast food and incorporating daily exercise.

Wang shared her experience on social media and discovered that many parents face similar challenges. According to the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly one-fifth of Chinese children age 6 to 17 and 10 percent of children under age 6 are overweight or obese.

China has included the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases in its Healthy China Initiative, with the National Health Commission launching a three-year campaign on weight control in June. The digestive diseases center has also established an organization focused on fighting obesity, aiming to create a standard and integrated multidisciplinary diagnosis and treatment system.

Hospitals across China have opened outpatient departments for weight control, offering systematic services for obese patients. While many young people originally sought to lose weight for aesthetic reasons, more are now doing so for health, according to Liu Rong, head of the nutrition department at a leading hospital in Lanzhou, Gansu province.

The congress will also feature discussions on traditional Chinese medicine treatments for obesity, which are widely used in the country's public campaign to promote weight control.

Despite the development of weight-loss drugs providing more clinical options for those suffering from obesity, experts warned of challenges, including insufficient scientific research, a lack of professional training and social prejudice against obesity.

"Whether one relies on medication or surgery, it ultimately comes down to following a healthy lifestyle to achieve long-term weight control," said Chen Wei, a chief physician in the clinical nutrition department at Peking Union Medical College Hospital.

Xinhua