PARIS — Despite the idea of the so-called 'French paradox' that refers to the relatively slender waistlines in France vis-à-vis the country's rich foods, the nation is not immune to the worldwide obesity epidemic. According to French officials, 15% of the population is obese, and the numbers are rising. Faced with this reality, a new national obesity plan is in the works, making this area a top research priority for France in the upcoming years.

Pain au chocolat: Obesity hurts 15% of France. Credit: istockphoto

On 25 May, France's Ministry of Higher Education and Research announced a commitment of €130 million ($185 million) as part of its future investment scheme dedicated solely toward obesity-related research. The sum, which will be dispensed over the next decade, represents a substantial increase over previous government plans to boost research in this field.

“Research spending will comprise one of three pillars of the plan, which will also include prevention and the provision of specialized point-of-care centers,” Arnaud Basdevant, a nutritionist at the helm of the plan, told Nature Medicine.

Front and center in the scheme is the launch of a new obesity foundation by the end of this year that will be a public-private partnership under the stewardship of the French National Alliance for Life Sciences and Health (AVIESAN), which groups together the main biomedical stakeholders in the country. The new foundation will most likely be based in Paris and modeled on what has previously been done in the area of Alzheimer's disease, for which France created a specific thematic foundation in 2008 to help coordinate research.

Claude Jaffiol, an endocrinologist at the University Hospital of Montpellier and a member of the French Academy of Medicine, says he expects the increased investment to lead to some “interesting new outcomes” in the field. However, he is less sanguine about whether the new cash flow alone will elevate the position of France as a major international hub for innovation.

As for the specific industrial partners that will join the new foundation, this is currently in the phase of negotiations. “The food industry will most likely play the main role,” says Jean-Michel Heard, who oversees the department for biology and health at the government's funding agency, the National Research Agency (ANR).