Every sixth German is obese

OECD study: Every second German is overweight. Obesity becomes a widespread disease and poses a major economic risk in health care.

(23.09.2010) Obesity and obesity are no longer an exception in modern industrialized nations. But now the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) warns that overweight is becoming more and more of a widespread disease. In particular, children are on average too fat in the OECD member states. If the trend continues, two out of three people will be overweight in ten years, the experts warn.

On average, about half of the population in the OECD member states suffers from obesity. In Germany about 60 percent of men and 45 percent of women are too fat, with a total of 16 percent of the population are to be described as obese. These are the findings of a recent OECD survey on obesity. According to the OECD experts, development is alarming, because not only is the health of those affected suffering accordingly, but society as a whole is grappling with the negative consequences. Obesity promotes the occurrence of many other ailments, so that in particular in the health care system and in industry, the consequences are directly felt: A higher sick leave leads to increasing downtime costs for companies and rising treatment costs at the cash. "Heavily obese people die about eight to ten years earlier than people of normal weight and are more likely to develop diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer," explain the OECD experts.

Until 1980, the proportion of morbidly fat people in most OECD countries was still well below ten percent, but since then their number is increasing rapidly. According to the definition of the World Health Organization (WHO), adults with a body mass index (BMI) between 25 and 30 are considered to be overweight, with a BMI of more than 30 as being obese. The BMI is the weight of a person in relation to height and is calculated from the weight divided by the height squared. However, recent studies have shown that particularly pronounced adipose tissue in the abdominal area is harmful, while fat on legs and butt has little negative impact on health. Therefore, more recently, the abdominal circumference is used instead of the BMI to assess the health risk.

With the increased prevalence, obesity has become one of the leading causes of death and disability in developed countries over the last 20 years. Obesity accounts for around 2.6 million deaths annually and at least 2.3 percent of health costs worldwide, according to the OECD experts. In particular, the numerous sequelae such as high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, heart and circulatory diseases, strokes or mental illness also contribute to the fact that obesity represents a risk to health not to be underestimated for all concerned. For example, the WHO and the US health authorities are already talking about a fatty epidemic that must be treated similarly to deadly infectious diseases.

The reasons for the unhealthy development, the researchers see primarily in the food habits, too much stress and too little exercise. The fact that even children are increasingly affected and that every third child in the 33 OECD countries is already overweight is a matter of particular concern to the OECD researchers. Here, according to the experts, a common policy of politics and the economy is urgently needed to deal adequately with the problem. Even with the expenditure of a few euros per capita, the spread of obesity could be successfully combated, explains the OECD.

If politics and the economy do not intervene, the problem will sharpen massively according to the experts. A vicious circle has already formed since children with at least one obese parent are overweight three to four times more often than others. An increasing number of overweight adults brings with them an increasing number of overweight children who, as adults, also become more likely to become obese, closing the loop. The children of overweight parents are usually not overweight due to genetic factors themselves, but because they take over the unhealthy diet and physical activity of their parents.

Here it is necessary to counteract. However, tackling the problem from the political level requires more than previous approaches. Food labeling to expose clandestine fattening or movement initiatives that support the rental of bicycles to cover short distances with one's own physical strength are not enough, according to the OECD experts, to establish a culture of healthy eating and active lifestyles , The politically supported improvement of the food distribution in numerous school canteens and the expansion of sports facilities are indeed a step in the right direction, but could not stop the development so far. Comprehensive educational campaigns and guaranteed individual counseling, for example by the family doctor, offer a good opportunity to combat the spread of obesity, according to the OECD. "This is the only way for politicians to change the claim that people have on themselves and their own fitness," explain the OECD experts. At the same time, however, industry should also play its part in using less salt and saturated fatty acids in food production.

Naturopathy also offers treatments for obesity. For example, "fletching" can help in addition to a healthy diet and sufficient exercise to lose weight. (Fp)

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