11 OCTOBER -WORLD ANTI-OBESITY DAY
11 October has been declared International Day against Obesity. The European Anti-Obesity Day campaign was first launched in 2009 by the UK National Obesity Forum and the Belgian Obesity Patients Association.
The number of overweight and obese people is continuously increasing across Europe. The aim of the campaign is to help people with this problem to lose weight and reduce some of their weight, thus reducing their risk of cardiovascular, orthopaedic, metabolic diseases and improving their quality of life. The focus is mainly on nutrition and physical activity, as in recent years obesity has become an epidemic not only among the adult population but also among children internationally. According to the World Health Organisation, in most European countries between 30 and 80% of people over 18 are overweight. On average, 20% of children are overweight, which means that 14 million children are overweight and 3 million are obese. In Bulgaria, two million of the adult population is overweight and one million is obese. Among children, 200 000 are overweight and 67 000 are obese.
Overweight and obesity are determined by a number of factors – eating habits, physical activity, age, gender, family history, geographical features of a given area, stress, etc. It has been found that as weight increases, so does the health risk. The link between excess weight and certain cancers, a number of circulatory diseases, type II diabetes, digestive diseases, etc. has long been established. Overweight and obesity increase the risk of arterial hypertension by a factor of 2 to 6. A number of studies have shown that the most effective way to solve this problem is weight loss programs involving lifestyle changes with several key elements – diet, exercise, change in eating habits, drug therapy.
In Bulgaria, the European initiative brings together nutritionists and medical professionals, patient communities and a range of organisations in an effort to curb overweight and obesity, in support of people with this problem. Nutrition recommendations for children aged 3 to 7 years include limiting salt and sugary products, soft drinks and including a daily intake of fruit and vegetables, cereals and potatoes in their menus. Children should also be provided with sufficient water intake. Similar recommendations are made for older people – daily consumption of more than 400 g of a variety of fruit and vegetables, increased intake of lean meats and fish, and limiting salt and fat intake. It is extremely important to know that obesity prevention begins in childhood and adolescence, and an important role is played here by the family, medical professionals and teachers in building and reinforcing healthy lifestyle habits, healthy eating and physical activity and sport.
Package “Metabolic syndrome”
- Insulin
- Blood sugar
- Total cholesterol
- HDL-cholesterol
- LDL – cholesterol
- VLDL
- Triglycerides
- NOMA – INDEX
