Obesity is not just a collection of health complications, but a chronic disease that requires long-term – often lifelong – treatment. This was emphasized in a podcast by the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences by Professor Martin Haluzík, head of the Centre for Diabetes at IKEM and principal investigator of the CarDia project.

“When someone has high blood pressure, we have no doubt they need long-term medication. With obesity, it should be the same,” he said. According to him, modern pharmacotherapy – particularly drugs acting through gut hormones – offers effective and safe ways to reduce and maintain weight, and even changes patients’ taste preferences toward healthier food.

A persistent problem is that obesity treatment in the Czech Republic is still not covered by health insurance, despite proven cost-effectiveness. Haluzík also stressed that these medications are not “for slimming down for the beach,” but are intended for patients with overweight or obesity accompanied by health complications.

According to Professor Haluzík, it is crucial to focus on prevention, especially in children, and to improve the health literacy of the entire population.

You can listen to the full interview here (in czech): https://www.uochb.cz/cs/novinky/676/podcast-chemic-47-k-obezite-jsme-v-cesku-prilis-tolerantni-je-to-chronicka-nemoc

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