Reacción a "Focusing solely on weight loss to treat obesity may be more harmful than beneficial"

In fact, we agree with the general content of the article, insofar as it identifies the low effectiveness of many of the interventions we are implementing to combat the obesity epidemic and the possible adverse effects of the way in which we are implementing these interventions.

However, we cannot forget that overweight and obesity already affect half of the population in developed countries and that no one questions the link between excess weight and reduced quality of life, as well as higher morbidity and mortality from chronic diseases (cancer, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, depression, sleep apnoea, osteoarticular disease, etc.).

Therefore, the emphasis must be placed on finding more effective forms of intervention that take into account the importance of not reinforcing the social stigma associated with obesity.

The problems with obesity interventions highlighted in the article are, in our view, the result of taking a simple, individual approach to a complex problem with a clear social origin.

We have an obesogenic lifestyle, and when we ask patients to lead a healthy life, we are asking them to make such a huge effort that many of them are unable to do so, which leads to feelings of helplessness and guilt. That is why interventions cannot be limited to individual clinical advice, but must include group and community-based interventions.