Obesity’s Economic Burden: A Tale of Two Countries

As a recent medical graduate from Mexico, I've come to understand obesity as a complex, chronic disease. Since moving to Canada and immersing myself in its healthcare system, I’ve had the opportunity to join nymble - a digital health tech startup focused on improving support for people living with obesity. I had always viewed the Canadian healthcare system as highly accessible and a gold standard in care. I expected to be challenged, but I wasn’t prepared to be so surprised.

What I wasn’t aware of until I saw Obesity Canada’s latest report, was the magnitude of the economic impact of untreated obesity: $27.6 billion lost every year due to inaction, a 20% jump from previous estimates.

What Hit Me Harder: Comparing It to Mexico

Back home, nearly 7 in 10 adults live with obesity or are overweight- and child rates are among the highest globally. During my clinical training, I saw firsthand how this disease led to complications like heart disease, diabetes, and kidney failure, while also flooding our hospitals, which were already overloaded.

Mexico has made efforts to combat the crisis. Policies like placing warning labels on packaged foods, taxing sugary drinks, and restricting junk food advertising in schools were steps in the right direction. But access to treatment remains limited. Most patients don’t receive multidisciplinary care, and medications like semaglutide are often out of reach due to cost or lack of provider training. In fact, fewer than 2% of eligible patients get pharmacological treatment for obesity.

The economic cost is mind-blowing. According to the World Obesity Federation, obesity drains 2.1% of Mexico’s GDP - over $52 billion CAD annually, including $25.7 billion CAD in lost productivity due to missed work, early retirement, and lives ending too soon.

That lost productivity feeds a vicious cycle: when people miss work, they earn less, making it harder to access the very care they need - from doctor visits to healthy food to medications. Without action, the cycle continues.

But Canada’s Situation Isn’t That Different

Despite having the clinical practice guidelines and promising weight management medications like semaglutide, obesity treatment still seems to be held back by stigma, limited access, and lack of training of the healthcare providers.

I learned that leading medical groups, including the Canadian Medical Association and WHO, recognize obesity as a chronic disease, but Alberta is the only province in Canada that officially does. That means that even for recently newly approved, exciting meds, like Zepbound (tirzepatide) which can help patients lose over 20% of their body weight, most Canadians will still lack access to treatment.

 So Why Are We Still Stuck?

As a young medical doctor at the start of my career, I keep coming back to the same question: If we know obesity is a chronic disease that causes over 200 other conditions, and effective treatment exists, why are we still stuck?

Is it stigma? Is it outdated policies? Is it the fact that many physicians—myself included, during medical school never received formal training in obesity care?

Fundamentally, obesity is still viewed as a personal failure rather than a complex biological issue. This has to change to move treatment forward. A very recent study presented at ECO 2025 entitled, “Disconnect between the perceptions of people with obesity and their physicians in real-world settings in Europe, the United States, and Australia” highlights this gap. 

It found that people living with obesity see it as a chronic disease influenced by biology, psychology, and environment - yet many healthcare professionals still blame lifestyle choices.

This disconnect between patients and their physicians fuels stigma, delays treatment, and leads to care that’s neither empathetic nor evidence-based.

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Rethinking Obesity Care

Reading these reports was overwhelming but also inspiring. Obesity isn’t a failure of character- it’s a chronic disease that deserves better care. At nymble, we’re breaking down barriers by providing accessible guidance and compassionate support, empowering people to take control of their health.

Change takes time, but it’s possible. And I’m proud to be part of that progress.