Get healthy or pay the price

Obesity and unhealthy lifestyles in Asia will have a large impact upon local economies according to chairman of the Herbalife Nutrition Institute and the Nutrition Advisory board David Heber. His remarks came at a seminar on April 15 as part of Herbalife’s Macau stop on the Herbalife Asia-pacific Wellness Tour 2016. Dr. Heber was one of the main guests of the event, and is considered by Thomson Reuters as one of the most influential minds of 2014, and repeatedly included in ‘The Best Doctors in America’ and ‘Who’s Who in America’. As a leading figure in obesity research, Dr. Weber has made it his main topic of study how to effectively prevent obesity and understanding the relationship between obesity and ageing. The chairman shared his take on how these issues affect Macau, Hong Kong and China.
“Obesity and [being] overweight has a tremendous impact upon local economies. Obesity associated diseases are a major factor in total health expenditure. In Hong Kong about 60 per cent of gross product is spent on healthcare and in the United States we currently spend US$200 million per year, on obesity associated diseases,” according to Dr.
David Heber, chairman of the Herbalife Nutrition Institute and the Nutrition Advisory board.
“This is because we’re only treating these diseases after they are diagnosed,” says the doctor, “and there are 132 obesity-related diseases. All that causes a big strain on healthcare finances.” Macau case study
A study by the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health on metabolism showed that in Macau 34.6 per cent of adult males between 18 and 44 years of age were overweight or obese and 36.6 per cent had high blood pressure. According to data from the Financial Services Bureau (DSF) the MSAR dedicated a total of MOP 7.753 billion in 2016 to its budget for health related expenses, a 20.5 per cent increase from 2015 and, according to Dr. Heber, [the condition of] overweight and unhealthy diets will end up creating a larger effect on Macau’s economy as health care expenses increase.
The Herbalife nutrition expert also gave his take on Macau’s problems vis-a-vis lifestyle and dieting, noting that around 39 per cent of the working population in Macau in 2016 was employed in the casino and hotel sectors, according to employment surveys by the Government of Macao Special Administrative Region Statistics and Census Service, with hectic shifts, night work and unhealthy diets implied in the work environment.
“People who are stressed become addicted to fast food or sweet foods as a stress releaser. Also abnormal sleep is another risk factor, since if you don’t have a good night’s sleep you tend to eat more. Daily exercise with a good diet is one of the best ways to reduce stress,” Dr. Heber told Business Daily.
“According to the survey from the new Nutrition at Work Survey, in the Asia Pacific area, nine out of 10 workers (85 per cent) spend at least six hours a day sitting at their desk, with five out of 10 eating lunch at their work desk two to five times per week,” he stated.
Keys to change
Heber described how the majority of the workforce – around 83 per cent – in the Asia Pacific region exercise less than three times per week, with six out of 10 getting less than 30 minutes of physical activity a day at their workplace – a trend in a market that has been recording rising obesity rates in recent years.
“In the Hong Kong, Macau and China area 50 per cent of the population has body fat and [a] high risk of chronic age related diseases, including diabetes, heart diseases and cancer. The population of China is 1 billion people, with 500 million people at risk of chronic age diseases.”
The doctor described how, with increased economic development in the Asia Pacific area, more people are moving away from the rural world and a farming lifestyle to an urban lifestyle and embracing less healthy habits.
“Nowadays, most people in China are inside their car, everybody is in heavy traffic all the time, sitting in their car. Also, [there are] more people sitting in office jobs than performing physical jobs, and our survey shows 9 out of 10 workers in the Asia Pacific [area] spend more than six hours per day sitting down; even more amazing 14 per cent spend 10 to 12 hours sitting down,” he said.
“Sitting down is actually considered a disease, called a sedentary lifestyle, and it’s a risk factor as big for heart disease and cancer as smoking.”