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Obesity is a disease and we need to start treating it like one
Misperceptions and a focus on weight-loss medications risk oversimplifying a complex health crisis. A coordinated approach is needed.
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Obesity is not just a “size” issue. It impacts quality of life.
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: UNSPLASH
Sue-Anne Toh and Prashanth Subramanian
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Weight-loss medications have continued to make headlines with public figures like Oprah Winfrey and Elon Musk openly acknowledging their use. At the 82nd Golden Globe Awards, American actress Nikki Glaser kicked off the show with a cheeky nod to the trend, quipping, “Welcome to the 82nd Golden Globes, Ozempic’s biggest night” – a reference to the popular weight-loss drug.
But while these medications – Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound, to name a few more – have been hailed as a potential “end to the obesity pandemic” by the World Health Organisation (WHO),
