How Saudi Arabia is tipping the scales against obesity and sedentary lifestyles 

Special Khaled Mohsen Shaeri, the 610kg man who had to be airlifted on Monday, has led to Saudi Arabia planning to set up a National Center for Obesity Treatment. (Reuters/File Photo))
Khaled Mohsen Shaeri, the 610kg man who had to be airlifted on Monday, has led to Saudi Arabia planning to set up a National Center for Obesity Treatment. (Reuters/File Photo))
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Updated 24 July 2023
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How Saudi Arabia is tipping the scales against obesity and sedentary lifestyles 

How Saudi Arabia is tipping the scales against obesity and sedentary lifestyles 
  • The Kingdom has implemented policies under Vision 2030 to help promote weight loss and improve quality of life
  • The Sports for All Federation emphasizes the importance of being physically active to help curb the uptick of obesity 

JEDDAH: A few months ago, Mohammed Munshi, a 40-year-old Saudi businessman, who had always struggled with his weight, was rushed to hospital after developing strange symptoms.

“For two weeks straight, I experienced nausea, anxiety, and consumed sugary drinks excessively due to a bitter taste in my mouth that altered the taste of everything, including water,” Munshi told Arab News.

“I felt constantly hot, my neck turned black, and my vision significantly weakened, but I didn’t understand why.”

When doctors checked Munshi’s blood sugar levels, his lab results showed a reading of 900. Anything above 500 is considered dangerous.

Munshi was suffering from diabetes mellitus — a disease related to the body’s inadequate control of blood glucose levels.

“Even after four doses of insulin, my levels remained dangerously high, and the symptoms persisted,” he said.

Further medical tests revealed that Munshi had developed diabetic ketoacidosis, a serious and potentially life-threatening condition resulting from prolonged high blood sugar levels.

For a week after his diagnosis, he was not allowed to eat, his water intake was restricted to just three bottle caps per day, and he received daily insulin doses to balance his levels.

“It took me a while to realize how unhealthy my lifestyle was, the excessive food consumption, and the disregard for the red flags,” he said.

Munshi is among millions of Saudis who have followed unhealthy lifestyles for years, resulting in high obesity rates in the Kingdom.

In response to the profound health and social implications of the obesity problem, the Saudi government has implemented a wide range of policies under its Vision 2030 plan, aiming to create a healthier population and improve quality of life.

Once considered an affliction of only the most affluent, obesity has in recent decades become a significant global health concern at all levels of society. That is why Saudi Arabia is committing resources to promoting healthy diets and active lifestyles.

Obesity, a complex disease that has reached pandemic proportions worldwide, has nearly tripled in prevalence since 1975. This surge is widely attributed to the adoption of increasingly sedentary lifestyles and unhealthy diets.

Globally, more than 1 billion people are deemed to be overweight, with a third of them classified as obese. The World Health Organization says approximately 4 million deaths per year are associated with the disease.

A study published in 2022 by the Global Obesity Observatory revealed that approximately 60 percent of Saudi Arabia’s adult population is overweight, with 20 percent classified as obese.




The Kingdom has implemented policies under Vision 2030 to help promote weight loss and improve quality of life. (Shutterstock)

Among children, 10.5 percent are overweight and 4.1 percent are obese. Recent data from the Kingdom’s leading health bodies indicate an increase in childhood obesity, while the number of obese adults has decreased compared to a decade ago.

The Saudi government says it is committed to providing seamless and equal access to engaging, world-class sporting events, competitions, and amenities for all citizens, residents and tourists, regardless of age, gender, background, or ability.

The Sports for All Federation, the main organization responsible for developing community activity in the Kingdom, emphasized the importance of being physically active to curb the uptick of obesity rates.

SFA highlights the important role physical activity plays in helping people to lead healthy lives and also the positive impact sport has on society as a whole. It works to ensure all members of society are equipped with the tools and support to practice daily physical activities.

The federation’s goal is to inspire young people to develop life-long physical activity habits and literacy. Initiatives like the Summer Camps Program, designed for boys and girls aged 6 to 17, emphasize the benefits of physical activity.

The program places emphasis on the benefits of physical activity, exposing participants, from a very early age, to the positive impact of sport on their lives and their communities. This allows it to combat issues such as obesity as early and effectively as possible.




“We aim to empower communities across the Kingdom to be as active and healthy as possible,” said Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed, president of the Saudi Sports for All Federation. (Supplied)

Established in 2018, the SFA has successfully increased physical activity levels in Saudi Arabia through their diverse range of health and fitness-focused programs, experiences and partnerships.

As a result, there has been a significant rise in physical activity levels across the Kingdom, with more people taking advantage of the available amenities.

According to the General Authority for Statistics, more than 48.2 percent of the population now engage in physical activity for more than 30 minutes a week.

Lifestyle and environmental factors play a significant role in reducing the risk of being overweight and obese among children and young adults. Unhealthy eating habits are a key contributor.

Dr. Nabeela Al-Abdullah, an associate professor in public health and epidemiology at King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, has raised concerns about the lack of teaching in schools concerning good dietary habits.

“The ministries of education and health are the main responsible bodies for the health of children outside of their homes,” Al-Abdullah told Arab News.

“Upon reviewing results from field visits conducted by our specialized students to several girls’ and boys’ schools, reports filed do not reflect the true situation especially given a recent MOH (Ministry of Health) initiative targeting school children.

“Canteens don’t have healthy options, obesity rates among children were high, including undernutrition. We need a health policy that focus on nutrition targeting children to build a healthy community.”

Al-Abdullah emphasized the need to intensify public health awareness campaigns that include nutritionists, educational institutions and health facilities, to target not just the most vulnerable but also broader society.

“There simply is not enough awareness. It’s a fact,” she added.




Obesity, a complex disease that has reached pandemic proportions worldwide, has nearly tripled in prevalence since 1975. This surge is widely attributed to the adoption of increasingly sedentary lifestyles and unhealthy diets. (Shutterstock)

Obesity is influenced by a variety of factors, including genetics, environment, and dietary choices influenced by numerous modifiable and non-modifiable elements, including family background, demographics, and lifestyle.

While no single nutritional approach can completely eliminate the risk of obesity, experts say it is a matter of changing behaviors where possible to improve health outcomes.

“The best diet anyone can benefit from is the diet you can adhere to,” said Mona Anan Aldubyan, a dietician specializing in obesity and weight management, told Arab News.

“Meta-analytical research of different diet studies’ results and their collective impact are one of the same on average. There’s no one-size-fits-all diet and the best diet is the one that you can stick to, of course within the parameters of a healthy diet.”

Adherence is key to the success of a diet plan to change habits and reduce weight, she said.

“While (a) special focused diet can be beneficial to some people that need it, it is crucial to adopt a comprehensive approach to reducing the risk of obesity — through finding a balanced diet, incorporating regular physical activity, personal dietary preference, financial capabilities, availability of goods, and what is a cultural norm — to initiate long-term lifestyle changes,” said Aldubyan.

“How to keep the weight off is the challenge because your body’s physiological changes and adaptation to the new weight are drastic and can go through phases, such as sending mixed messages to your brain that you’re hungry or in need of sugar. Such phases occur and it’s a long-term fight. Obesity is a long-term fight.”

Interventions and awareness campaigns can be transformative for people like Munshi, who is turning his life around.

“Today, I work out five times a week,” Munshi told Arab News. “I’ve adhered to a healthy, sugar-free, low-carb diet, and my blood sugar levels have significantly improved.

“My ultimate goal is to be able to play football with my son.”


Riyadh conference to focus on digital innovation

Riyadh conference to focus on digital innovation
Updated 20 sec ago
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Riyadh conference to focus on digital innovation

Riyadh conference to focus on digital innovation
  • Event organized by the Saudi Saline Water Conversion Corp

RIYADH: The second Operational Excellence Conference, OPEXKSA, will begin on Dec. 12 in Riyadh, covering “global leadership in operational excellence.”

Organized by the Saudi Saline Water Conversion Corp., the two-day conference emphasizes the role of digital transformation in achieving operational excellence in business, serving as a key platform for knowledge exchange.

The conference will highlight the significance of artificial intelligence, the fourth industrial revolution, sustainability and data in business performance.

It will cover 10 key sectors aligned with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, including Hajj services, water, industry, mining, transportation, logistics, communications, energy, education and digital health. OPEXKSA will also address justice, finance, real estate, agriculture, research, development, innovation, human resources and social development.

Visitors will learn how to tackle challenges in today’s competitive environment through agile business development.

Sessions and workshops held at OPEXKSA will highlight digital transformation as a key pillar for growth and development.

OPEXKSA is hosting more than 100 speakers and will feature international consulting firms, along with government, private and nonprofit entities.


KSrelief projects help people in Pakistan, Lebanon, Sudan

KSrelief projects help people in Pakistan, Lebanon, Sudan
Updated 09 December 2023
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KSrelief projects help people in Pakistan, Lebanon, Sudan

KSrelief projects help people in Pakistan, Lebanon, Sudan
  • The distribution is part of the second phase of the project to secure and distribute shelter materials and winter bags in Pakistan for 2023-2024
  • The program comes as part of the relief efforts provided by Saudi Arabia to help people and countries in need around the world

RIYADH: Vulnerable communities in Pakistan, Lebanon and Sudan are benefiting from assistance provided by the Saudi aid organization KSrelief, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
KSrelief distributed 514 winter bags in the Gupis-Yasin District of the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan, helping 3,598 members of the most vulnerable families in the flood-affected areas.
The distribution is part of the second phase of the project to secure and distribute shelter materials and winter bags in Pakistan for 2023-2024.
The program comes as part of the relief efforts provided by Saudi Arabia to help people and countries in need around the world.
In Lebanon, the center distributed 1,289 shopping vouchers to Syrian refugees and host community members in the northern city of Tripoli, and in the Arsal and Ash-Shouf regions, as part of the second phase of the Winter Clothes Distribution Project for 2023.
The coupons allow refugees and other vulnerable segments from host communities to buy winter clothing at designated stores.
The assistance comes within the framework of the humanitarian and relief projects provided by Saudi Arabia for vulnerable and needy segments around the world.
KSrelief recently signed a cooperation agreement with a civil society organization to equip intensive-care units for children and adults, emergency departments, and surgery sections in seven main hospitals in Sudan’s Gezira, Nile River, White Nile and North states at a total value of SR5 million.
The agreement was signed by KSrelief Assistant Supervisor General for Operations and Programs Ahmed bin Ali Al-Baiz at the center’s headquarters in Riyadh.
The agreement aims to provide medical equipment, such as emergency devices, anesthesia machines, ventilators, automatic injectors, vital-signs monitoring devices, intensive-care beds and operating beds, to selected departments that will ensure a high-quality health service to 7 million people.
The assistance is part of the Kingdom’s efforts to support the health sector in Sudan amid the humanitarian crisis.
Since its inception in 2015, KSrelief has implemented 2,625 projects worth more than $6.4 billion in 94 countries, in cooperation with 175 local, regional and international partners.
According to a report by the agency, the bulk of the support has gone to Yemen ($4.3 billion), Syria ($384 million), Palestine ($370 million) and Somalia ($227 million).
KSrelief’s programs cover food security, health, sanitation, shelter, nutrition, education, telecommunications and logistics.


Scientists see chance for research breakthrough under Saudi longevity program

Scientists see chance for research breakthrough under Saudi longevity program
Updated 09 December 2023
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Scientists see chance for research breakthrough under Saudi longevity program

Scientists see chance for research breakthrough under Saudi longevity program
  • Hevolution Foundation pledges $1bn a year to incentivize longevity research and startups around the world
  • Scientists say Saudi efforts can redefine global healthcare, which is based on treatment instead of prevention

SINGAPORE: Saudi efforts to develop healthspan science are enabling research and democratizing strategies to keep people healthy, the world’s leading longevity scientists say, as the Kingdom supports disruptive ideas to reverse aspects of aging. 

Launched in 2021, as part of the Saudi Vision 2030, the Riyadh-based non-profit Hevolution Foundation provides grants to incentivize independent research and entrepreneurship in longevity. 

Overseen by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Hevolution pledges investment of $1 billion a year into efforts to understand the processes of aging and to find and render accessible ways to increase the number of years people live in good health. 

“The goal is to really extend the healthy years of life. It’s to push our healthy longevity much further, which is something that will benefit every country and every person on Earth,” said Dr. Brian Kennedy, distinguished professor of biochemistry and physiology at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine of the National University of Singapore.

“I think it’s a really noble initiative to try to bring healthcare technology that’s just emerging to the forefront as quickly as possible.” 

Kennedy, who focuses on understanding the biology of aging and translating research discoveries into addressing and preventing diseases associated with aging, spoke to Arab News on the sidelines of the Advanced Tomorrow 2023 Singapore Summit, which was hosted by the NUS this week. 

A member of Hevolution’s scientific advisory board, he said that the foundation supports both academic initiatives and private sector development, as aging research has been greatly underfunded globally. 

“They’re going to fund projects around the world, not just in Saudi or the US, but everywhere,” Kennedy said. “They’re enabling research to democratize strategies that keep people healthy longer.” 

The efforts also have the potential to redefine the current approach to healthcare, which is waiting until people become ill and only then treating them. 

“It doesn’t work because once people get sick, they’ve lost equilibrium. The homeostatic process is to keep them healthy throughout their life … They almost never recover fully to the healthy state (they were in) before they got sick,” Kennedy said. 

“Everybody should be treated when they get sick, but we should be putting an equal amount of effort (into) trying to keep them healthy because that’s what you really want. You don’t want to get treated effectively for Alzheimer’s; you don’t want to get the Alzheimer’s. It’s the early stuff that’s going to keep you from getting sick.” 

In many cases, age-associated illness such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, or dementia is not only treatable but also preventable, saving society and individuals from unnecessary financial and emotional burden. 

For Prof. Luigi Fontana from the Faculty of Medicine and Health at the University of Sydney, who focuses on preventative medicine and the role of nutrition and physical exercise in slowing age-associated chronic disease, the current medical system “is not healthcare but ‘sickcare,’” as it is designed to treat disease instead of preventing it. 

“Most people spend their last 20 years in bad shape, taking multiple medications, in hospital, with cancer, stroke, dementia … It’s terrible because it’s a huge cost on society and also on a personal level, family level,” he told Arab News, adding that no country will be able to afford it in the next two decades. 

“The new line of research around the biology of aging is that many of the common chronic diseases that we see now in hospitals are preventable. The World Health Organization claims that at least 80 percent of cardiovascular disease is preventable. Data from my lab suggests it’s much higher than that.” 

Research into longevity promises not only ways to allow people to have a better quality of life as they age but also to reduce healthcare costs. 

“There are certain pathways, aging pathways, that are controlling the accumulation of metabolic molecular damage leading to multiple diseases. By blocking or inhibiting these pathways, you can prevent multiple diseases at once, so that people would be living healthier. And, typically, when you increase the healthspan, you also increase the lifespan,” Fontana said. 

“It’s backed by a lot of science … Now we have to translate it into humans to develop biomarkers, a range of interventions that are going to keep people healthier for long.” 

For him, programs like Hevolution provide the chance to advance research in the field much faster than state institutions would, as “typically, with philanthropy, they like disruptive ideas” and “it’s like angel investment.” 

Last week, Hevolution partnered with XPrize Foundation and announced a $101 million prize for the first group of researchers that can reverse aspects of aging by 10 years. 

“It’s a great idea,” said Noah Molinski, head of research at Von Ardenne Institute of Applied Medical Research in Dresden, Germany.

“The big problem is how we can bring our innovation to the real world. Researchers have a lot of ideas, but without money, they cannot bring a real impact.” 

Hevolution’s $1 billion a year investment into longevity research and startups is the highest such pledge globally. 

“It aligns a lot with the Saudi Vision 2030. They recognized earlier than others how important longevity is because people can only work to a certain age and normal medicine helps you to prolong your life, but that doesn’t mean that you will have a higher number of years with a higher quality of life,” Molinski said. 

“You have to somehow align this (idea) that people live longer but also that the lives lived longer have to be of higher quality. And that’s the main goal of longevity.” 


Makkah Route serves 618,000 pilgrims in 5 years

Makkah Route serves 618,000 pilgrims in 5 years
Updated 09 December 2023
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Makkah Route serves 618,000 pilgrims in 5 years

Makkah Route serves 618,000 pilgrims in 5 years
  • Launched in 2019 in Muslim-majority countries, the scheme allows pilgrims to fulfill all visa, customs and health requirements at their airport of origin, saving hours of waiting before and on arrival in the Kingdom

Riyadh: Growing numbers of Hajj pilgrims are benefiting from Saudi Arabia’s Makkah Route initiative, which streamlines travel and entry processes for visitors from partner countries.

A total of 617,756 Hajj pilgrims from Morocco, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Turkiye, and the Ivory Coast have so far benefited from the initiative, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Launched in 2019 in Muslim-majority countries, the scheme allows pilgrims to fulfill all visa, customs and health requirements at their airport of origin, saving hours of waiting before and on arrival in the Kingdom.

The process begins with the issue of electronic visas and individual information collection, followed by streamlined passport procedures before departure.

Stickers are placed on luggage and passports containing information on the flight data and place of residence of each pilgrim. The tagging service is carried out by a specialized team working under the supervision of the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah.

Teams at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah and Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah receive the luggage, which is then delivered to pilgrim accommodation.

The Ministry of Interior implements the Makkah Route initiative in cooperation with several agencies, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, the General Authority of Civil Aviation, the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority, the Saudi Data and AI Authority, the Pilgrim Experience Program and the General Directorate of Passports.


Saudi FM stresses Kingdom’s public and private positions identical on Gaza

Saudi FM stresses Kingdom’s public and private positions identical on Gaza
Updated 09 December 2023
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Saudi FM stresses Kingdom’s public and private positions identical on Gaza

Saudi FM stresses Kingdom’s public and private positions identical on Gaza
  • Prince Faisal disagreed with the US veto on Gaza ceasefire
  • Prince Faisal met with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken for talks on Gaza

RIYADH: Saudi foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, during an interview with PBS NewsHour, confirmed that the Kingdom’s stance on Gaza is the same in public and private.

Prince Faisal was refuting claims from PBS Presenter Nick Schifrin that “[Saudi Arabia’s] public calls do not match your private calls to destroy Hamas. Why the dual message?”

The Saudi foreign minister said, “There is no dual message. What we say in private and what we say in public is exactly the same, not just for the kingdom but for all the Arabs.”

He added, “I am very proud that what we are saying in public and private are the same. I can’t say the same for some of our Western interlocutors.”

Prince Faisal, who is currently leading the Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee’s visit in Washington to call for a Gaza ceasefire, disagreed with the US veto on the UN Security Council resolution on Saturday.

He also voiced disappointment at the Security Council’s inability to “take a firm position” on Gaza.

“We have now seen a level of carnage in Gaza that is unprecedented, that is unjustifiable under any pretext of self-defense,” noted Prince Faisal.

The Arab-Islamic Committee also objected to the US veto that blocked the UN Security Council resolution during a meeting with the US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. Prince Faisal said the committee would push for a ceasefire to prevent more civilian deaths.

“This continuing level of civilian casualties does not serve anybody's interests, including the interests of Israel or its security.”

The Saudi foreign minister warned against the risk of the war’s expansion from Gaza to the rest of the region, as well as the rising threat of extremism. “People are losing their trust in the argument for peace in our region, but they're also losing their trust in the international systems of security and legitimacy,” he said.

On Saturday, Prince Farhan met separately with Blinken in Washington to discuss the Israel-Hamas war.

The officials discussed “all possible efforts to reduce the pace of escalation and ensure that the violence does not expand to avoid its dangerous repercussions on international peace and security,” reported the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

The meeting was attended by Princess Reema bint Bandar, the Saudi Ambassador to the United States.