Germans are getting fatter, with 51 percent of adults in Europe's most populous country now classed as overweight accrding to official figures released on Wednesday.
Germans are getting fatter, with 51 percent of adults in Europe's most populous country now classed as overweight accrding to official figures released on Wednesday.
Sixty percent of men and 43 percent of women have a Body Mass Index (BMI) -- a measure computing body weight and height -- of more than 25, up from 56 percent and 40 percent respectively in 1999, the statistics office said.
Obesity - Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Complications, Treatment
Obesity is a condition where there is excess accumulation of body fat which poses a risk to the health of the individual. It can affect children and adults.
Obesity is a condition where there is excess accumulation of body fat which poses a risk to the health of the individual. It can affect children and adults.
The figures compare unfavourably with those in France, where 38.5 percent of men and 26 percent of women are overweight, but Germans are clearly thinner than Britons.
Data from Britain's National Heart Forum in February suggested that eight out of 10 men and nearly seven out of 10 women in England will be too fat by 2020, with 41 percent of men forecast to be obese.
Body Mass Index
The BMI calculator helps you assess your weight indicating if it is normal or if you are underweight or overweight, based on your height.
The BMI calculator helps you assess your weight indicating if it is normal or if you are underweight or overweight, based on your height.
And in China, there are more than 60 million obese people, and another 200 million who are overweight, according to a Chinese health ministry statement in November that cited a 2004 nationwide survey.
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