Industrial food behind obesity in Algeria

Food industries are behind the increasing of obesity in Algeria. “Western processed food largely contributed in increasing obesity,” an endocrinology specialist told Echorouk.

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  Zahra Kamali believes that overweight is due to large consumption of processed food rich of fat, sugar and salt and poor of fibres. “Obesity is a ticking bomb. It threats several countries in the world. Overweight causes many dangerous chronic diseases including heart attacks, diabetes, cholesterol and high blood pressure.”

  “A total of 1,432 studies conducted all over the world show that overweight remarkably increased in the Middle East and North Africa,” she said.

  “Women are more subject to this disease,” she added.
  

  She also said there are other factors behind obesity such as psychological pressure, stress, tobacco and alcohol addiction.

  She believes that dangerous diseases absorb 8 percent of the national health budget. “Third of cancer cases and half of heart diseases in the world can be avoided through prevention. We should avoid obesity by sensitizing about the important of exercise and social education.”

   ï»¿Third of children in Algeria are obese

  Professors Slim Ben Hedda and Abdelaziz Chibane of Mustapha Bacha Hospital in Algiers said a study sonducted on 7,465 showed that more than 30 percent of Algeria’s children suffer from obesity.
  

  According to the same study, obesity touched children aged between 6 and 7 years by 37 percent. Children between 11 and 12 years by 29 percent. Children aged between 14 and 16 years by 33 percent. 
  

  It also showed that 31 percent of children eat additional food and 17 percent eat processed food while 48 percent eat at home in front of a TV.
  

  Doctors believe that obesity among children needs a long time of continuous treatment. Perseverance starts by giving up some negative habits such as sitting next to TV for a long time after eating.

  Children should start practicing sport before the age of 10. 
  

  The study shows that obesity among children has many negative organic, psychological, economic and social impacts. Obese children will suffer from several organic diseases like anaemia, heart attacks and high blood pressure. That makes children subject to psychological and behaviour symptoms. They feel that they attract attention and could not play any game like his friends.