How the UAE’s conversation about obesity is moving beyond the scale

For a long time, the conversation about obesity came down to one number on the scale. That is starting to change.

Almost a quarter of adults in the UAE, 22.4 per cent, are living with obesity, according to the Ministry of Health and Prevention’s National Health and Nutrition Survey 2024-2025. The same survey found that more than half of adults have high cholesterol, about one in four has high blood pressure and one in eight has raised blood glucose.

Those conditions rarely turn up alone. Obesity is now widely recognised as a serious, chronic disease, closely tied to Type 2 diabetes and heart disease, which is why it is increasingly discussed in terms of overall cardiometabolic health. For Venkat Kalyan, general manager of Novo Gulf, the company's aim is “lasting health”.

“It’s not just about achieving good health, but achieving good health that lasts,” he said. “We now have a huge wealth of data and knowledge on the science of obesity, and there’s a real sense of urgency to share it and make it accessible to everyone.”

Not a question of willpower

Part of that shift is about how people living with obesity are seen. The condition is still often treated as a matter of personal discipline, and that stigma can stop people from seeking help at all.

“People living with obesity are too often told it’s simply about willpower. It isn’t,” Mr Kalyan said. “It’s a chronic disease, and it deserves the same medical care as any other.”

It also matters because of what tends to come with it. Excess weight puts added strain on the heart and is closely linked to raised blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar, the same risks picked up in the national survey.

“Weight is often the first thing people see, but it’s rarely the whole story,” he said. “What really matters is what’s happening with the heart, blood sugar and blood pressure.”

What the science is showing

That link between weight and the heart is where some of the most significant research of recent years has focused. Novo’s flagship GLP-1 medicine, which mimics a natural hormone involved in regulating appetite, has been used since 2017, first for Type 2 diabetes and later for weight management.

As the evidence has grown, so has its role: in the UAE, the injectable form is also approved to help lower the risk of major cardiovascular events, such as heart attack and stroke, in adults with established heart disease and either overweight or obese.

“Through clinical trials and broader research, we’re seeing benefits beyond weight loss,” Mr Kalyan said. “That changes the conversation. It’s no longer only about how much weight someone loses, but about their long-term health.”

Show caption: Venkat Kalyan, general manager of Novo Gulf. Supplied.

In it for the long term

The UAE has made obesity and chronic disease a national health and economic priority, and its regulators have built a reputation for moving quickly on new medical treatments while keeping safety standards firmly in place.

In June, the Emirates Drug Establishment approved the tablet form of the GLP-1 for weight management, making the UAE the first country after the US to do so. It contains the same active ingredient as the injectable form, giving doctors another option to consider for suitable patients.

“The UAE is one of the most innovative countries in the world, and it wants the best for its patients,” Mr Kalyan said. The review, he said, moved faster than in many other markets without compromising on safety.

Novo Gulf is part of a company founded in 1923, when the first patients were treated with insulin developed by Nordisk Insulinlaboratorium. It is deepening its presence here, with plans to open a regional distribution centre in the UAE to serve the Gulf and the wider region.

“We’re not here for the short term,” he said. “The UAE has set out a clear ambition on chronic disease, and we want to be part of delivering it.”

It starts with a conversation

For all the progress, Kalyan is clear that medicine is only one part of the picture. Diet and physical activity remain the foundation of managing obesity, and any treatment should be guided by a doctor who looks at the whole person rather than at a single number.

The company also supports patients through NovoCare, an education programme that combines digital tools, a call centre and a team of patient educators to help people understand their condition and live well with it.

“Professional medical guidance is essential, and patient safety is extremely important,” he said. “The most important step anyone can take is an honest conversation with their doctor, and the earlier, the better.”

This page was produced by The National in partnership with Novo Gulf