obesity and overweight affect nearly one in two French people

Overweight affects 47% of French people, and obesity concerns 17% of adults. These figures for 2020, (which are the latest available), also show regional differences: obesity concerns more the North and East of France as Île-de-France, the Pays de Loire, or the South-East. But overall these figures draw a worrying French trajectory, explains Annick Fontbonne, researcher at Inserm, who co-directed this study: “The French have for a long time kept a more or less normal weight compared to all their European neighbors, but here we have a slope which apparently is steeper than that described by the WHO for the Europe region.” This rise in obesity is particularly marked among young French people, aged 18-34. With the key, an increase in the long-term risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and many forms of cancer.

This increase in obesity in France is explained above all by diet, more than by the lack of exercise, say these researchers. The problem is the increase in the share of industrial foods in menus because one gram of ultra-processed food has a higher caloric density than the same food prepared at home.

Obviously, behind this recourse to prepared meals, there is the question of purchasing power and lack of time. This is why the researchers insist on the role of public policies, which must help the French to make healthier food choices. The nutri-score is a good thing but it is not enough.

A new generation of treatment

Besides bariatric surgery, which remains reserved for cases of severe obesity, and after a period during which many obesity drugs were withdrawn from the market due to their side effects, there is currently a new generation of treatments happens, these drugs called GLP-1 analogues are already known in the treatment of diabetes. They have encouraging effects but are not reimbursed for the moment, because doctors still lack perspective on possible adverse effects, particularly at the cardiovascular level.