Paris (AFP)

Forty years after the arrival of McDonald's, the French have gained weight and are eating less well. Blame it on the burger? Not so simple, say specialists interviewed by AFP.

- Have the French grown in 40 years?

Yes, and they are not the only ones since the phenomenon is observed in all developed countries.

In France, the prevalence of overweight children aged 5 to 12 increased four-fold between 1960 and 2000, according to a Senate report.

In 2014-2015, 13% of children and adolescents in France were overweight and 4% obese, according to the health agency Public Health France. For adults (18-79 years), these figures are 34% and 17%.

Overweight and obesity have increased significantly between the 80s and 2000, especially among children, says Serge Hercberg, professor of nutrition at Paris Descartes and president of the National Health Nutrition Program (PNNS) from 2001 to 2017.

Recently, the Drees, the statistical service of the social ministries, unveiled a survey conducted in 2016 and 2017 among 7,200 students: 18.2% of the 3rd graders are overweight, of which more than a quarter (5.2% ) are obese. These proportions were 17% and 3.8% in 2009 and 15.8% and 3.5% in 2001.

The rise is notable "especially for girls," says the Drees.

- Fastfoods responsible for overweight and junk food?

"It's a lot more complex, you can not consider it just fast food," says Pr. Hercberg. "It has contributed but we can not consider that it is a major element".

At stake, "a combination of things": increased consumption of foods that are less good for health and weight, snacking, a decrease in physical activity, a more sedentary lifestyle (staying seated more often, longer) and the time spent in front of the screens as well as the economic accessibility of the food of better quality become more difficult ...

"Fast food is one of the elements that has facilitated the emergence of obesity, but it is not by removing it that we will solve the problem," notes for his part Dr. Pierre Azam, nutritionist, founder of the Observatory of obesity.

Like overweight, lifestyles and diet are a social marker.

Lower-income populations eat more cold cuts and fewer fish than better-off people, and the poorest eat more fat, sweeter and saltier.

"Executives eat 50% more fruit and 30% more vegetables than workers," adds Pr Hercberg, Nutri-Score Color Code Defender, to help people choose the most balanced industrial foods possible.

- To eat a McDo, is it so bad?

McDo is considered the symbol of junk food, even though the chain has evolved to get rid of this image, with an offer of salads and bottles of water, coca zero, chewable fruit for children.

In general, it is not the simple basic burger that is problematic, but all that is added and especially the offer of large XL (double, triple) with their layers of cheese, bacon with large cornets of French fries, fat sauces, drinks and sweet desserts. McDo is far from the only sign of fastfoods concerned.

In any case, it should not be part of a daily diet, experts agree.

- In the current diet, is there worse?

"Junk food is not just McDonald's," says Pr. Hercberg. It points for example taco even more caloric: this food adapted from Mexican cuisine is currently exploding in France.

As another example, sandwich chains offering many ingredient additions offer products that exceed 1,000 calories, says Dr. Azam.

He advocates for all fastfoods "a visible display of the amount of calories per menu", also for sauces, drinks (fruit juice and sodas) and desserts.

Prepared dishes at home or bought in supermarkets can also participate in an unbalanced diet. 1,500-calorie pizzas bust the BigMac (503 calories sandwich, according to the McDonald's website)

And the excesses are apparent from the youngest age, as the ANSHA recently found, according to which "75% of 4-7 year olds, 60% of 8-12 year olds and 25% of 13-17 year olds" consume too many sugars.

Excessive intake "of concern" because it is in childhood and adolescence that good or bad eating habits are developed that may persist in adulthood, and promote obesity and diabetes.

© 2019 AFP