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One in 4 Adults in Indonesia is Obesity, Productive Age is at Risk of Metabolic Disorders
KABARINDO, SURABAYA – Obesity is no longer just an appearance issue, but a serious health threat that is increasingly attacking the productive age group.
Data from the 2023 Indonesian Health Survey shows that the prevalence of overweight reached 14.4%, while obesity reached 23.4%. This figure confirms that almost one in 4 adults in Indonesia live with obesity, especially at an age that should be at the peak of productivity.
According to Dr. Dr. Luciana B. Sutanto, MS, Sp.GK, Subsp.PK, clinical nutrition specialist with special expertise in nutrition for critical patients at Primaya Hospital Kelapa Gading, the increase in obesity in the productive age group is closely related to modern lifestyles.
“At productive age, a person already has a wider income and access to food, but physical activity actually decreases. Work patterns that involve a lot of sitting, minimal exercise, and excessive calorie intake make obesity very easy to occur,” he explained.
Obesity cannot be judged only from body weight or body shape. Body composition and fat distribution, especially abdominal fat, are important factors in assessing health risks.
“A person can look not very fat, but have high fat mass and excessive waist circumference. This condition is still metabolically risky,” he said.
Obesity is the gateway to various metabolic risks, namely a collection of conditions such as high blood pressure, high blood sugar, abnormal cholesterol and excess belly fat. This combination of factors significantly increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke.
“Obesity can reduce energy, cause fatigue, difficulty focusing, joint pain, and psychological disorders. In the long term, quality of life decreases and the risk of fatal chronic diseases increases,” explained Dr. Luciana.
A high-calorie diet, excessive consumption of sugar, salt and fat, plus lack of physical activity and a sedentary lifestyle are the main factors. Work stress, lack of sleep, and irregular eating hours also worsen the body’s metabolism.
Unfortunately, many people only become aware of metabolic problems when complaints appear. Even though health screening should ideally be carried out periodically from a young age.
“Metabolic screening should be started at a young age around 20 and carried out more routinely as you get older, especially over 40 years. The aim is to detect risks early, even before symptoms appear,” explained Dr. Luciana.
The approach to managing obesity also cannot be uniform. A medical nutrition approach based on balanced nutrition and individual metabolic conditions is the key to long-term success.
“Safe and sustainable weight loss requires the assistance of a clinical nutrition specialist. Instant diets actually have the risk of causing malnutrition and worsening metabolism,” explained Dr. Luciana.
As a first step, he suggests maintaining an ideal body weight at a productive age, understanding daily nutritional needs and building a consistently healthy lifestyle from an early age.
“Small changes made early and sustainably are much more effective than instant, seasonal efforts. The main goal is not just to lose weight, but to protect long-term metabolic health,” said Dr. Luciana.
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