Surprising Obesity Stats on British Women and Maltese Males (ContributorNetwork)

COMMENTARY | In the U.S. obesity has caused a great deal of alarm because it is now affecting children. Everyone else throughout the world thinks this is a problem only for the U.S. Unfortunately another continent is starting to have problems with obesity since the last decade.

Figures were recently released by the European Union statistic agency, or Eurostat, found women in the U.K. while the former British colony of Malta found the men to be the most obese throughout Europe. For the British women it is at levels of 23.9 percent and Maltese males at 24.7 percent. Some Eastern European countries rank high with their obesity percentages. This is certainly lower than the U.S. standards, but it is both surprising and alarming from an American point of view.

Many Americans presume Europeans to be in better shape physically, because of the vast amounts of public transportation available. You need to walk a number of blocks to get to a bus stop or train station or subway platform. That really is a lot of walking to and from on a daily basis. Granted, the obesity issue is not a problem in central Europe. That is a relief, because everything there is so narrow it would be a nightmare for an obese person to get around. Oddly enough the gaining of weight in the UK has become noticeable since 1980.

Experts there have blamed the advent of ready meals, takeaways and driving. Ready meals is a British term for meals you can pick up already made at a deli, grocer or other food stores. Americans can equate this to frozen meals already prepared that you stick in the microwave or oven. Whatever you want to call these convenient meals whether already prepared, fast food through a drive-thru or have delivered to the home are packing on the pounds. Over time it leads one to become overweight where the weight doesn't come off so easily. Sadly, obesity has made its way to parts of Europe.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/weightloss/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20111127/us_ac/10532901_surprising_obesity_stats_on_british_women_and_maltese_males

district 9 pandaria pandaria artie lange baby lisa irwin baby lisa irwin pearl jam 20