WHO: 60% of Europeans overweight or obese

The WHO recommended several specific policies that it hopes will cut Europe’s waistline. Among them: fiscal interventions such as taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages.

The waist sizes of Europeans are rapidly increasing, according to data from the World Health Organisation (WHO). Now, nearly 60% of the European population is overweight or obese.

The WHO published its 2022 European Regional Obesity Report on Tuesday, with some surprising results. Within Europe 59% of adults and nearly 1 in 3 children (29% of boys and 27% of girls) are now classed as overweight or obese. From 1975 to 2016, the number of obese adults increased by 138%.

Obesity has been linked to increased rates of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases.

Overweight or obese people were also disproportionately affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

https://www.brusselstimes.com/health/221916/who-60-of-europeans-overweight-or-obese