How much does fear weigh?

For far too long, obesity has lived under the misconception and prejudices of being associated with gluttony, laziness, and aesthetics. To speak of obesity is to speak of a disease with very concrete impacts on the health of the people who live with it, and whose prevalence we have been manifestly unable to reverse.

To lose weight, it's not enough to just eat less and move more. Obesity is not a choice, nor is it a matter of lack of willpower. It is a chronic disease resulting from an excessive accumulation of body fat, with biological, genetic, hormonal, psychological, and environmental causes.

In Portugal, 1 in 4 adults lives with obesity and two in three are overweight, relegating our country to the third worst position in Europe. Furthermore, obesity is associated with an increase in a vast array of other acute and chronic diseases. Its economic impact exceeds €1.1 billion annually, approximately 6% of healthcare expenditure.

But more than just numbers, these data reflect the true weight of a disease that affects the lives and autonomy of millions of Portuguese people. For all these reasons, obesity represents one of the most serious threats to public health.

Today we have a better understanding of the complexity and scientific mechanisms underlying obesity. Science explains why some people are more susceptible to obesity, as well as the factors that increase the risk of developing the disease and its associated complications. Advances in recent decades have enabled an approach capable of restoring people's quality of life and control over their health. Fortunately, in the present day and age, it is possible to treat and control obesity.

The first step in confronting this epidemic remains the most difficult, because it is also the loneliest. Many continue to live in silence, bound by stigma and guilt. Therefore, we must continue to raise awareness and promote changes in attitude. We need to replace silence with dialogue, judgment with understanding, and inertia with action.

Part of the invisible burden of obesity lies in the loss of functional freedom and emotional confidence. When one lives with the fear of not having the energy, agility, and stamina to live fully or overcome challenges, the deepest fears of those living with obesity settle in the body and mind, causing them to gradually succumb to this invisible weight that can worsen the progression of the disease.

It is precisely this invisible fear that we must overcome by inspiring and supporting people living with obesity to take the first step, creating space for them to talk about their difficulties and fears and gain the confidence to seek medical support.

It is urgent to definitively look at obesity for what it truly is: a chronic, complex disease that requires medical monitoring and effective public policies that call for cooperation and a multidisciplinary response that goes beyond theory and truly changes the quality of life of people living with obesity.