Health experts sound alarm: Dangerous weight loss trends threaten public amid new obesity plan

While the Hong Kong government introduces its first action plan to combat the city's rising obesity rates, medical experts are issuing a critical warning about a growing number of dangerous and unregulated weight loss practices that are putting public health at severe risk.

The government's new "Action Plan on Weight Management" aims to reduce the city's obesity rate from its current 51.3 percent to below 50 percent within three years, integrating both Western and Traditional Chinese Medicine approaches. 

However, as public interest in weight management intensifies, a coalition of medical groups, the Hong Kong Obesity Alliance, has identified five alarming and perilous trends that citizens should be extremely cautious about.

The alliance highlights the significant danger of individuals purchasing prescription weight-loss injections and self-medicating without proper medical evaluation. 

This practice often leads to incorrect dosages and can cause severe physical harm. Another serious concern involves various "health supplements" marketed for weight loss that are secretly tainted with banned substances, such as Sibutramine.

This potent ingredient has been linked to dangerous side effects including high blood pressure, rapid heartbeat, and even seizures.

The surge in demand for weight-loss drugs has also fueled a thriving black market for counterfeit products. These fake medications are often sold through unreliable sources like social media, unauthorized beauty parlors, and illegal "parallel import" channels, making their efficacy and safety highly questionable. Furthermore, many of these medications, including GLP-1 receptor agonists, require strict cold-chain refrigeration during transport and storage. 

When handled improperly by unauthorized sellers, these drugs can lose their effectiveness or even become toxic, posing serious health threats to users who cannot verify their storage history.

Finally, the concern group stresses the lack of professional supervision as a major pitfall. When individuals use weight-loss drugs without a doctor's guidance, they often fail to adjust dosages correctly, manage potential side effects, or make the necessary lifestyle adjustments—such as healthy eating and regular exercise—that are crucial for maintaining long-term weight loss.

Medical professionals emphasize that popular "weight-loss needles" are strictly prescription-only medications, intended as therapeutic tools for chronic disease management, not as quick fixes. 

They underscore that possessing or selling unregistered versions of these drugs is a criminal offense in Hong Kong. 

The public is strongly advised to consult with healthcare professionals to ensure any weight management strategy is safe, legal, and tailored to their specific health needs.