9th INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON OBESITY BULLETIN

Monday 26^th August 2002

Congress launch

Approaches to tackling the worldwide epidemic of obesity need to be reassessed to take into account the `hidden´ risk among millions of people in Asia, a leading expert warned today.

Prof Philip James, chairman of the International Obesity Task Force, said that the number of people considered overweight or obese could be as high as 1.7 billion, taking into account a lower definition of overweight approved by a WHO expert group. He was speaking at a press conference at the 9^th International Congress on Obesity in São Paulo, Brazil.

Until now the IOTF has estimated that more than 1 billion people fall into the pre-obese or obese categories using established WHO definitions based on a body mass index (BMI) of 25 and above. But the WHO group which met in Singapore last month examined the weight-related risks factors of raised cholesterol, blood pressure and insulin levels and agreed that Asians have a lower threshold for overweight related risks at a BMI of 23.

Prof James, who previously chaired the United Nations Commission on the Nutrition Challenges of the 21st Century, said new research would be published next month suggesting that many of the risks for cancer, diabetes and other diseases related to excess weight are much greater than previously thought.

“The greatest challenge now is to tackle the prevention of childhood obesity which is out of control. We are seeing type two diabetes which used to affect older people now becoming a serious problem for youngsters even before they reach their teens. Many of these children are going to suffer from blindness, kidney problems and heart disease by the time they are 30. If we don´t come up with a completely new way of thinking about this problem we are going to be in big trouble, “ he added.

Prof Geraldo Medeiros-Neto, the president of the International Congress on Obesity taking place this week in São Paulo, blamed junk food, which he said had been banned in some schools in Brazil. “We must preserve our children’s health,” he added.

Prof Stephan Rössner, president of the International Association for the Study of Obesity, who chairs an IOTF management group, said they were looking at the challenge of managing the weight of hundreds of millions of people in need of medical support. Prof Rössner said the international body had grown over the 15 years since it was formed so that it now covers 43 countries, and more than 7,500 scientists, doctors and research specialists in the field. The latest countries with expert obesity associations to join were El Salvador and Cuba.

Prof Claude Bouchard, who chairs the congress international advisory board, said that several major scientific developments were being unveiled during the meeting, including new perspectives on diabetes treatment, the genetic background to the development of fat tissue, the role of metabolic factors such as leptin, a regulating hormone, and potential components of food which might slow down weight gain.

For further information contact:

ICO Press Office, Quito Room, Hotel Transamerica, São Paulo +55 11 5693 4511