Global initiative for glycolipid metabolic health

Glycolipid metabolic disorders are highly prevalent, cause substantial harm and are independent risk factors for both cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease. They also play a role in the onset of major chronic illnesses, including cancer. Because their pathogenesis is multifactorial, more than 70% of affected patients present with comorbid conditions. However, the prevailing model of organ- or disease-specific management has limited overall effectiveness, and treatment strategies that prioritise tight control of blood glucose or lipids as isolated targets have not markedly lowered long-term cardiovascular event rates in individuals with type 2 diabetes or hyperlipidaemia.

In recent years, great emphasis on the prevention and treatment of glycolipid metabolic disorders has been placed globally. In 2020, the UK National Institute for Health Research published an article in Nature, calling for global attention to the issue of comorbidities. In 2022, experts from ten countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada, released a consensus advocating for strengthened scientific research on comorbidities.

Professor Guo Jiao from Guangdong Pharmaceutical University and his team proposed the new theory of "Glycolipid Metabolic Disorders: Turbidity", establishing a national-level multidisciplinary joint diagnosis and treatment model. They led the development of international standards such as the International Clinical Practice Guidelines for Glycolipid Metabolic Disorders. This "comorbidity-integrated" prevention and control model has gained widespread recognition in the academic community.

At the "9th Global Forum on Glycolipid Metabolic Disorders and the 6th Academic Annual Meeting of the World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies Metabolic Disease Committee" held in Paris from October 25 to 26, 2024, France, Jiao, along with experts from nearly 20 countries and regions across four continents, including China, France, the United States, Australia, Brazil, and the United Kingdom, launched the "Global Initiative for Glycolipid Metabolic Health".

The initiative includes the following components:

I. Strengthen the scientific understanding of glycolipid metabolic disorders as a group of comorbidities. The interaction between glucose and lipid metabolism is a key feature of glycolipid metabolic disorders, and the simultaneous regulation of glucose and lipids is crucial for their prevention and control.

II. Enhance public health education. Advocate for regular monitoring of blood glucose, lipids, and blood pressure among high-risk populations and patients. Promote healthy lifestyles, including maintaining a healthy weight, good dietary habits, moderate exercise, and stress management, to foster a proactive health perspective for preventing glycolipid metabolic disorders.

III. Develop and implement an integrated "screening-diagnosis-treatment-management" system for glycolipid metabolic disorders. Early screening and intervention for multiple risk factors, comprehensive disease management, and efforts to prevent or delay disease progression, reduce the incidence of comorbidities, and enhance the overall level of prevention and control.

IV. Focus on key areas such as the pathogenesis of glycolipid metabolic comorbidities, prevention and treatment technologies, and clinical comprehensive diagnosis and treatment guidelines. Accelerate collaborative research and the translation of clinical and basic research achievements into practical applications, ensuring that scientific and technological advancements benefit human health.

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Contact the author: Jiao Guo. Guangdong Metabolic Diseases Research Center of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Key Laboratory of Glucolipid Metabolic Disorder, Ministry of Education of China, Institute of Chinese Medicine, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, China. E-mail address: gyguoyz@163.com.

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