World Obesity Day: Time for prevention and management of obesity to go hand-in-hand
Posted On: 3rd March 2023
Total Diet & Meal Replacement (TDMR) Europe welcomes World Obesity Day (WOD), which will return this year with the message “Changing Perspectives: Let’s Talk About Obesity”. Taking place tomorrow 4th March, 2023’s campaign aims to help correct misconceptions and acknowledge the complexities around obesity, and push for collective action. In this context, it is crucial to raise awareness of the need for prevention and management of obesity to go hand-in-hand.
Although obesity is rising on the European political agenda, initiatives aiming to address the issue have so far focused mostly on preventive measures, putting in second place the millions of individuals across Europe that are already obese. Obesity rates have meanwhile tripled in many European countries in the last few decades, with the 2022 WHO European Regional Obesity Report indicating that 59% of adults are overweight or living with obesity in the Region.
Against this backdrop, it is more urgent than ever for EU decision makers to consider all available options, including formula diet products. Total diet replacements (TDRs) and meal replacement products (MRPs) are scientifically proven safe and cost-effective options to deliver the amount of weight loss needed to tackle obesity and achieve major improvements of related comorbidities. TDRs and MRPs programmes have been used for several decades and can fill the gap between weight loss advice, often used for smaller weight loss (2-5 kg), and bariatric surgery for larger weight losses (25-40 kg).
Not only does a growing body of scientific literature prove that TDRs and MRPs can provide economical, viable and effective solution to tackle obesity – including PREVIEW, DROPLET and DiRECT –, public health services have also acknowledged the effectiveness and safety of TDRs to manage obesity and related diseases. In 2020 the NHS England launched its soups and shakes diet programme, which provides a low-calorie diet treatment with TDR for people who are overweight and living with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). With this programme, over 2,000 people have improved their health with participants losing an average of 13.4 kg in three months.
TDMR Europe reiterates the need for EU policy makers to:
– Support a more ambitious role for the EU in public health matters and continue to recognise the complexity of obesity, while ensuring a clear focus on treatment as well as prevention.
– Explore all options available, including the use of TDRs and MRPs, while understanding healthcare costs and potential savings from using formula foods.
– Make more funds available for research into obesity treatment and management, while creating more opportunities for industry to share their best practices.
Read TDMR Europe’s position paper on obesity here.
More information on TDRs and MRPs is available here and here.
For further information on the DiRECT trial click here.
More information on the PREVIEW study is available here.
Find out more about the DROPLET trial here.
About TDMR Europe
TDMR Europe organises impactful educational seminars on TDRs and MRPs. Our events bring together industry stakeholders, academics, policymakers and others to review and raise awareness of the increasing evidence base within the scientific literature regarding the efficacy and potential of TDRs and MRPs to change the face of obesity and related diseases in Europe.
Find out more about TDMR Europe in our media pack and membership leaflet.