UEG urges Europe to act now on obesity crisis driving digestive diseases and cancer

​”Recognizing obesity as a systemic, multifactorial condition means moving away from individual blame and adopting a more holistic, person-centred model of care.”

On 5 June, United European Gastroenterology (UEG) gathered policymakers, clinicians, and patient advocates at the European Parliament to confront obesity’s escalating impact on digestive diseases and cancers, particularly in people under 50.¹ Experts warned that stigma, low public awareness, and chronic underfunding continue to delay early detection, while World Health Organization (WHO) data linked obesity to 200,000 cancer cases annually in Europe.²

Speakers called for urgent, binding EU-wide prevention measures, stronger screening, and multidisciplinary care, stressing that voluntary approaches have consistently failed. Following the meeting, we spoke with the chair of the UEG public affairs group, Prof. Patrizia Burra (Padua University, Italy), about why obesity must be addressed as a societal issue and how coordinated policy, clinical practice, and advocacy can help reverse its toll on digestive health.

Obesity is a major driver of digestive diseases and cancers in Europe, especially among people under the age of 50. It is strongly associated with serious gastrointestinal and liver diseases, including pancreatic cancer and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), which can progress to MASH, cirrhosis, and eventually hepatocellular carcinoma. These diseases often go undetected until advanced stages, due to low public awareness and delays in early detection. Meanwhile, prevention remains chronically underfunded and fragmented efforts at the national level have shown limited progress.

UEG’s event, “Connecting the Dots: Obesity, Digestive Diseases and Cancers” brought together policymakers, clinicians, patients, and public health experts to address the issue from multiple angles: clinical, policy, and advocacy. The aim was to move from dialogue to coordinated action, calling for binding prevention measures, cross-sector collaboration, and an integrated approach to prevention and care. As several speakers highlighted, obesity must be addressed as a societal issue with structural drivers, not just as a matter of personal responsibility.

Recognizing obesity as a systemic, multifactorial condition means moving away from individual blame and adopting a more holistic, person-centred model of care. For gastroenterologists and related specialists, this includes early screening for obesity-linked risks, coordination with nutrition and mental health services, and fostering long-term support strategies. It also means recognizing the broader socioeconomic and behavioural factors at play. Several speakers at our event stressed that treatment should focus on improving overall health, not just weight reduction. Clinical pathways must reflect the complex biological and social drivers of obesity – reflecting how we manage other non-communicable diseases (NCDs). This approach promotes equity, reduces stigma, and improves patient outcomes.

As outlined by the President of the European Association for the Study of Obesity (EASO), Prof. Volkan Yumuk (Istanbul University Cerrahpasa, Turkey) in his presentation, four major shifts [in digestive health pathways] are needed:

• Adopting person-first language to reduce stigma;
• Recognizing obesity as a chronic, multifactorial disease;
• Managing obesity like other NCDs, with a focus on long-term health, not just weight loss; and
• Building multidisciplinary teams to deliver integrated care, including medical nutrition therapy,  physical activity, psychological support, and clinical follow-up.

Digestive health pathways must evolve to reflect these principles. This includes improving the detection and management of obesity-related gastrointestinal and liver diseases, such as pancreatic cancer, MASLD and MASH, which, if left untreated, can lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer. Care teams must be equipped to provide personalized, long-term support for people living with obesity – supported by strong policies, not just optional guidelines. We need broader, system-level changes to address the underlying causes and improve long-term health.

Healthcare professionals have a powerful role as advocates for policy change. By speaking with a united voice, they can push for evidence-based prevention policies, such as improved food labelling, marketing regulations, and early screening programmes. Clinicians also bring credibility to public health campaigns and can share real-world insights with policymakers. Importantly, they must help shift the narrative: framing obesity as a public health and societal issue rather than as a personal failure. Through research, public engagement and collaboration with patient groups, health professionals can help turn science into policy and contribute to more ambitious, binding EU-level action.

Specialists play a key role in early intervention for childhood obesity. As my colleague, Dr Jorge Amil Dias (Centro Hospitalar de São João, Porto) emphasized, action should begin in the first 1,000 days (from conception to age two), through pregnancy counselling, breastfeeding promotion, healthy-diet introduction, and age-appropriate physical activity. These early steps help to establish lasting habits and reduce obesity risk.

Obesity has multiple causes, including genetics, but healthcare can address many modifiable factors through consistent medical surveillance and support. Specialists must work closely with paediatricians, families and schools to promote prevention, while also advocating for systemic change, such as better food policies and reduced health inequalities. Crucially, early intervention should be part of a coordinated, multidisciplinary strategy that sees obesity as a chronic disease, not a personal failure. With obesity-linked digestive diseases on the rise, specialists must help align clinical care with public health efforts to meet the WHO’s 2025 target on childhood overweight.³

References

1. United European Gastroenterology (UEG). Turning the Tide on Obesity and Digestive Health: Europe Must Act. 2025. [Press release]. Available at: ueg.eu/a/372 (accessed: 14 August 2025).
2. World Health Organization (WHO). The challenge of obesity. Available at: www.who.int/europe/news-room/fact-sheets/item/the-challenge-of-obesity (accessed: 14 August 2025).
3. World Health Organization (WHO). Global nutrition targets 2025: childhood overweight policy brief. Available at: www.who.int/publications/i/item/WHO-NMH-NHD-14.6 (accessed: 14 August 2025).

Patrizia Burra

Dr Patrizia Burra is a full-professor of Gastroenterology, head of the Gastroenterology Unit, head of the Gastroenterology Endoscopy Unit, and preceding head of the Multivisceral Transplant Unit, Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, Padua University Hospital, Italy. Dr Burra is the director of the Gastroenterology School of Specialization, and a co-director master on Advanced Hepatology and Transplant Medicine and coordinator of the Department of Transplantation, Padua University Hospital. She was also ViceRector on Research Training at Padua University (2015-2021), and is appointed Rector’s Delegate (2021-2027).

Dr Burra was a UEG PAC Member from 2011-2014, a UEG PAG Chair between 2022-2025, and is currently Secretary of the Italian Society of Gastroenterology (SIGE) 2018-2026. Dr Burra has been a councillor, treasurer and then president (2017-2018) for the International Liver Transplant Society (ILTS)  and a chair (2005-2009) for the European Liver and Intestine Transplant Association (ELITA). In 2021 she received a recognition award from European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) and Fellow of AASLD (FAASLD).

Dr Burra has been co-chair of the Lancet-EASL commission on liver diseases in Europe since 2019, and was deputy editor of the Journal of Hepatology (2019-2024). Dr Burra is clinically and scientifically involved in the field of end stage liver disease and liver transplantation, and has 610 articles published and a H-index of 72.