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Feb 26
Obesity epidemic in Europe fuelled by lack of exercise and high fat diet
Obesity epidemic is slowly taking over the world. The fast paced lifestyle and careless way of living has further pushed up this epidemic. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that lack of physical activity and diets high in fats, salts and sugars has led to obesity and overweight is becoming "the new norm" throughout Europe.

Ahead of EU summit in Greece, the officials informed that up to 27 percent of Europe's 13-year-olds and 33 percent of 11-year-olds are overweight. Seeing the data, childhood obesity poses the gravest challenge.

As per reports, countries with the highest proportion of overweight 11-year-olds included Greece, with 33 percent, Portugal (32 percent), and Ireland and Spain, both with 30 percent.

The WHO's regional director for Europe, Zsuzsanna Jakab, said that Europeans' "perception of what is normal has shifted".Obesity is no longer seen as unnatural and overweight is now more common than unusual.

Lack of physical activity, listed by the WHO as the fourth leading cause of death globally, is now viewed as one of the major health threats affecting developed countries.

More than two thirds of people in UK over the age of 15 were insufficiently active, according to the WHO's latest data, from 2008.

According to international guidelines ,it is recommended that adults get 150 minutes moderate-intensity exercise per week, while children and adolescents should have an hour per day.

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