Obesity has become a pressing public health concern in Russia and the country is among the world's top 10 in terms of the growth rate of obesity, Russian medical experts warned on Wednesday.
The latest data showed Russia ranks among the world's top 50 by the number of obese people, said Gennady Onishchenko, an academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
"What is worrying, however, is the rate of increase ... We are among the top 10 and will soon catch up with the United States," Onishchenko said.
He pointed out that the surge in obesity among Russians is driven by poor dietary habits and sedentary lifestyles.
One major driver behind this trend is the popularity of fast food, sugar and white bread, the academician said, adding that black bread and whole-grain bread are far healthier alternatives as they contain not only carbohydrates but also dietary fiber and plant-based proteins.
Natalia Mokrysheva, also an academician and director of the National Medical Research Center for Endocrinology under the Russian Ministry of Health, noted that children stay largely inactive when using digital gadgets and expend barely any energy, giving rise to weight-related health problems.
京公网安备 11010202009201号