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Iran among top 10 countries with highest obesity rate: Deputy minister
Alireza Raeisi was reported by IRNA as saying that the issue of obesity should not be reduced merely to weight loss and fitness, adding that obesity or overweight signal changes in the body, ultimately leading to an imbalance in the consumption of macronutrients and micronutrients.
“The consumption of unhealthy foods in Iran is very high and increasing. Statistics show that the rate of obesity in the country has had a sharp upward trend from 2022 to 2024.”
The deputy minister took to the task some incorrect beliefs and traditions, such as "chubby children are more lovable," saying, “This wrong attitude of parents leads to childhood obesity, and later, as the individual ages, no one can be held accountable for its complications and consequences.”
Stressing that obesity and overweight in the adolescent age group is very concerning in the country, Raeisi said, “One of the main reasons for this trend is the sharp decrease in physical activity, especially among children and adolescents, because most of these individuals spend many hours of the day in virtual spaces without the slightest physical movement, which in recent years has replaced playing computer games. This, along with the lack of necessary physical activity, has had and continues to have irreversible consequences for individuals (now and in middle age).”
Pointing to weight loss as one of the complications of many diseases such as uncontrolled diabetes, hyperthyroidism, and even cancer, he stressed that in such cases, the amount of weight loss itself is not important, but rather the speed of the individual's weight changes is important, and if this weight change (decrease or increase) happens in a short period, it can be dangerous.