The UK is now the most overweight nation in Europe and the evidence is all around us. As a doctor, I see it daily in practice, dealing with its complications(并发症) ranging from diabetes and high blood pressure to heart disease and cancer. So what are we doing about it?
Not enough is the honest answer. First, weight management services, such as mental health guidance, surgery and slimming drugs remain very limited. Also, measures taken in consulting rooms are too often centered around scaring people into action: if you don't lose weight you will have a heart attack or develop diabetes.
Scaring the individual is neither helpful nor effective. Becoming more active is beneficial for many reasons, but exercise alone is not a great way to lose weight, not least because you have to run for at least an hour to burn off a beef pie. Drugs and surgery also have their place but are not required for most overweight people. So I prefer to combine proper exercise with a diet for the best result. But which diet?
Often I recommend the low-carb approach, which involves cutting back on sugary drinks and foods, and starches(淀粉) such as rice and bread. I don't believe there is anything magical about the approach but it has a number of benefits: it seems easier to follow than many other approaches, and it helps lower blood sugar levels for the ten million or so people in the UK who already have type 2 diabetes or are at high risk of developing it.
Solving the obesity (肥胖) problem involves not only supporting and encouraging the individual, but also changing public health and government policy. Efforts are being made and change is already under way.
