Study More and more extreme thickness in Germany

More and more people in Germany are suffering from severe obesity

10/06/2012

According to a study by the Federal Ministry of Health, more and more people in Germany are suffering from massive obesity. The authors report that in the meantime every fourth overweight person is affected by obesity. In addition to genetic dispositions, lack of exercise and unhealthy diet are the main reasons for the development of obesity.

More and more people are suffering from extreme overweight. Doctors talk about obesity when people exceed the BMI value of 30 kg / m2. According to a study by the Ministry of Health, 25 percent of the overweight now suffer from severe obesity. Compared to previous years, according to the authors, the number of obese Germans has increased rapidly.

About 50 percent of the population is regularly physically active, reports the FOCUS in advance, citing existing study data. However, the number of patients with obesity increased sharply, as it was said. Compared to a survey conducted in 1998, however, the overall proportion of obese people in Germany remained the same. For example, 53 percent of women and around 68 percent of men suffer from mild to severe obesity. However, about 25 percent of the overweight group would have a body mass index (BMI) of more than 30. Thus, those affected are already considered obese. In 1998, the proportion of obese men was still 20 percent for male Germans and just under 22 percent for women.

Little exercise and a lot of food
The main reason for the steady increase in obesity was „Lack of exercise and excessive calorie intake“. While many people are less and less active in sports, they would eat more and more, according to the experts. The World Health Organization recommends actively moving at least 2.5 hours per week. Active movement means swimming, cycling or jogging. According to the analysis, however, only 25 percent of men and 15 percent of German women achieve this minimum value.

Number of diabetics rose sharply
In addition to cardiovascular complaints such as high blood pressure and heart attack, diabetes type II is a common sequelae. Accordingly, more and more people suffer from the chronic metabolic disease. According to the study, the proportion of diabetics has risen by 31.5 since 1998 and by 23 percent among women. This means that today diabetes is becoming a so-called widespread disease, as around 7.1 percent of men and 7.5 percent of women are now diabetics. For the study, data from more than 8,000 women and men in Germany were evaluated. A detailed report is expected in the coming days. (Sb)

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Picture: Gerd Altmann