Obesity Rates Hit New High in Ireland

The recently concluded National Adult Nutrition Survey in Ireland has thrown up a worrying statistic with figures revealing that the rate of obesity in the country has more than tripled in just two decades.

According to the survey, the total number of obese men in 1990 was just over 8 percent but has now shot above 26 percent in 2010 while obesity rates among women also increased from 13 percent to 21 percent.

The survey was carried out by researchers at University College Cork and University College Dublin who are part of the Irish Universities Nutrition Alliance. Around 1,500 adults took part in the survey with researchers studying their food diaries, blood-pressure tests and lifestyle habits.

"Obesity is strongly related to diabetes and linked with increased risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, gall-bladder disease and certain cancers", University College Dublin's Dr Ann Nugent said.


Source: Medindia