World Obesity Day was held at the Lords Centre

The multidisciplinary team of the Day Hospital of the Follow-up and Rehabilitation Foundation of Lourdes, in the heart of the health centre, invited the residents of the Chorian Basin to participate in World Obesity Day.

On the menu, medical information provided by Dr. Frédéric de Belisne, complemented, in the morning, by a health route with a 5 or 10 km walk around the Grand Bassin or adapted physical activity in partnership with My Gym. A midday break, in the form of a Spanish lodge, allowed for exchange between participants and the healthcare team, which organized therapeutic workshops for the afternoon. Everything was a great success.

From the beginning, the doctor explained to his audience that overweight and obesity are excess body fat, mainly due to a very rich diet and lack of physical activity, but it is also linked in one way or another to psychological, hereditary or chronic diseases. There has of course been talk about BMI, which is the body mass index that takes weight and height into account. The doctor had the opportunity to mention obesity as “a chronic disease that does not tend to heal automatically, with repercussions on physical, psychological and social health. 47% of the French are affected: 30% suffer from overweight, and 17% suffer from excessive obesity.” And a clear observation: “Increased prevalence compared to other European countries; increased overweight among young people; which concerns men more than women but also more for the working classes.”

Dr. de Belisne also identified the reasons: an increase in calories, especially alcohol; Sedentary lifestyle and lack of physical activity. Psychological factors – eating disorders, anxiety, depression, lack of sleep time, smoking cessation or excessive alcohol consumption. Other causes mentioned include the genetic context and also diseases such as hypothyroidism or taking antidepressants.

The doctor also talked about the many risks associated with obesity and overweight: cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, gastroesophageal reflux disease, osteoporosis, high cancer risk, and psychological problems… to name a few. He also mentioned medical monitoring but also talked about prevention, stressing in particular the importance of monitoring the body mass index, following a varied and balanced diet as well as daily physical activity such as walking, and reducing the time spent in front of screens… “The best treatment is prevention.” Focusing on the younger ones, the doctor insisted. A message heard by the participants.