Obesity threatens Italian longevity
24% of children have weight problems
(ANSA) - Rome, October 10 - Farmers warned on Tuesday that soaring obesity levels in Italy would soon undermine the country's record for healthy long living .
In a report marking Obesity Day, farmers' union Coldiretti said that, thanks to the Mediterranean diet, Italian men currently had a life expectancy of 77.4 and Italian women of 83.6. It stressed these figures were far higher than the European Union average but were destined to fall because of growing obesity problems, particularly among Italian youngsters .
"The children of this generation could be the first in history to have a shorter life than their parents because of illnesses caused by obesity," it said .
Coldiretti noted that more children are overweight in Italy than in any other European country .
Statistics show that 24% of children and teenagers in Italy have major weight problems while 4% are "seriously obese". Among Italian ten-year-olds, more than 35% are dangerously overweight or obese .
That puts Italy at the top of the European rankings although Malta, Greece and Spain follow close on its heels .
"The reason is that the traditional Italian diet based on bread, pasta, fruit, vegetables and olive oil has been abandoned," Coldiretti said .
The union called on the government to act immediately, saying that one of the first things to do would be to ensure that healthy food was served in school canteens. Recent studies show that obese children are more likely to have high blood pressure as adults, or suffer from a stroke .
Research has also shown that the average life expectancy of obese male kids is 13 years shorter than their slimline peers, with the figure dropping to eight for obese girls .
Experts emphasise the potential psychological damage or suffering caused by obesity, pointing out that overweight children tend to be picked on or teased and are at risk of developing low self-esteem and depression .
Obesity threatens Italian longevity