Obesity threatens 1 million Ukrainians - NSZU named dangerous consequences

Wednesday, March 4, 2026, marks World Obesity Day. UNN reports on the dangers of obesity to human health, citing the National Health Service of Ukraine.

Details

As noted by the NHSU, overweight and obesity are among the key risk factors for the development of chronic non-communicable diseases. It is also the cause of most cardiovascular diseases - hypertension, coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.

Excess weight:

• affects blood pressure;
• disrupts lipid and carbohydrate metabolism;
• forms insulin resistance;
• increases the load on the heart and blood vessels;
• increases the risk of vascular complications.

Most of these conditions can develop for a long time without pronounced symptoms, the NHSU noted.

According to the Electronic Healthcare System, as of March 3, 2026, there is information on 1,001,240 patients who were diagnosed with "obesity" or "overweight." Of these:

• under 18 years old - 130,690 patients;
• over 18 years old - 870,464 patients;
• age not entered in the EHCS - 86 patients.

These data indicate the scale of the risk factor and the need for systematic prevention among both adults and children, the NHSU noted.

In order to avoid health problems, regular contact with a family doctor is recommended to timely detect metabolic disorders - before the development of chronic conditions and complications.

Family doctor:

• assesses body mass index;
• measures blood pressure
• prescribes a blood glucose test;
• analyzes individual risk factors;
• provides recommendations on lifestyle and, if necessary, refers to a specialist.

Recall

Intermittent fasting did not show better results for weight loss than traditional diets. These are the conclusions of a large review of 22 scientific studies involving almost two thousand adults from different countries.