Vietnam's obesity crisis takes center stage at VietSPEN nutrition conference

Nearly 700 healthcare experts recently met in Da Nang City for the 5th annual VietSPEN conference. The event focused on nutrition for patients with obesity and sarcopenia, highlighting ways to improve treatment outcomes. Organisers stressed the growing challenge of managing obesity and its link to serious health risks.

The World Health Organisation classifies obesity as a global epidemic. It raises the risk of chronic diseases and makes treatment more difficult. In Vietnam, childhood obesity has climbed from 8.5% in 2010 to over 19% by 2020, while around 25% of adults now face weight-related issues. Urbanisation, processed foods, and inactive lifestyles have driven this rapid increase.

Da Nang's Department of Health pointed to clinical nutrition as a key factor in better recovery, shorter hospital stays, and fewer complications. Experts at the conference discussed how personalised nutrition—tailored to genetics, metabolism, and lifestyle—can help manage weight and reduce heart disease risks. Sarcopenia, the loss of muscle mass, often affects obese patients and worsens their health outcomes. Resistance training and exercise were highlighted as vital for preserving muscle and maintaining long-term weight control. The conference also reinforced that obesity requires a team-based approach, with nutritional therapy at its core.

The VietSPEN conference underlined the need for better nutrition strategies in hospitals and clinics. Personalised diets and exercise programmes could help combat obesity and its complications. With rising obesity rates in Vietnam, these measures may play a crucial role in improving public health.