Nearly one in two French people are overweight or obese, according to a survey by the League Against Obesity. In total, 37 specialized centers in France offer care, illustration in Marseille.
Eight million people in France are now in a situation of obesity, according to a survey conducted by the League against obesity, out of nearly 10,000 adults. This proportion has doubled in just 25 years. To slow down this progression, the North Hospital of Marseille treats 300 people each year.
Stephanie has been suffering from obesity for several years and she has already tried everything to try to lose weight.“It’s very difficult because we go on diets. It works for a while, you lose a lot and then we break down and take it all back.” This 43-year-old Marseillaise has been followed by a team of professionals for a few months.
Catch up on the effects of confinement
“It’s a whole multidisciplinary course on the medical level: dietary monitoring, adapted physical activity and a psychologist, explains Véronique Germain, a dietician. There is a whole care process before arriving at the decision of surgery.”
In this specialized center, capacities are limited and demand continues to increase, especially among young adults aged 18 to 21, more and more numerous since the confinement with devastating effects.“We have a lot of patients who were teenagers at the time of confinement”, alert Pauline Duconseil, digestive surgeon.
“They have taken on bad habits and are finding it difficult to get back to significant physical activity and to resume good food hygiene.”
Pauline Duconseil, digestive surgeonat franceinfo
Hypertension, diabetes or sleep apnea are associated with obesity. Many diseases develop, recalls Thierry Bege, visceral surgeon. “We often had people who came to consult us to lose weight. We have more and more often people who come to consult us to be in better health.”
A treatment in the test phase
These professionals can count on new drugs that have appeared somewhat by chance. It was initially antidiabetic injections that have proven to be real appetite suppressants. “They make it possible to obtain a weight loss of more than 10%, it is very significant, rejoices Thierry Bege. But the reality is that there are also people who do not lose weight with these drugs. We also know that when we stop taking them, the weight goes back to its previous level.”
For the moment, these drugs are reserved for the most serious cases of obesity, prescribed in only a few specialized centers. All this arouses the interest and mistrust of the authorities and doctors who hope to avoid excesses.
A support network against obesity in Marseille: report by Hugo Charpentier
listen