China News Service, May 3. According to Agence France-Presse, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on the 3rd local time that more than 1.2 million deaths in Europe each year are related to overweight and obesity.
WHO calls on all parties to take swift measures to reverse this dangerous situation.
On December 1, 2020 local time, in Perpignan (Perpignan), southwestern France, doctors of the French Emergency Medical Assistance Service (SAMU) lifted a morbidly obese man from his home to the first floor with a crane.
Currently, 59% of adults and nearly 33% of children in the European region are overweight, the WHO said in a report.
In 1975, only 40% of European adults were overweight.
In addition, the report says obesity rates in the European region have soared by 138% over the past 50 years.
Currently, nearly 25% of adults in Europe are obese, second only to the Americas and higher than the rest of the world.
"Overweight and obesity have reached 'epidemic' levels throughout the (Europe) region and the situation continues to worsen," the WHO Regional Office for Europe said.
"Increased body mass index is a major risk factor for non-communicable diseases, including cancer and cardiovascular disease," Hans Kluge, WHO's regional director for Europe, was quoted as saying in the report.
It is estimated that over 1.2 million deaths in Europe are linked to overweight and obesity each year, accounting for more than 13% of deaths in the region, the report added.