Statistics: About 64% of Moldovans are overweight
More than six out of ten adults in the Republic of Moldova are overweight, and a quarter of the population suffers from obesity, according to official data. Specialists say that an increased consumption of sugar, as well as a lack of physical activities, generates an increase in body weight, which also influences the occurrence of non-communicable diseases.
Around 64% percent of the citizens of the Republic of Moldova are overweight, and over 20% are obese, according to a report by the Ministry of Health. These values indicate an increased risk of metabolic complications, such as high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases, as well as diabetes, according to an interview for Radio Moldova, conducted by the head of the Directorate for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases within the National Agency for Public Health, Nelea Tabuncic. The specialist recommends a healthy lifestyle, reducing sugar and practising physical activity. "An insufficiency is also manifested in the practice of physical activity, and as a consequence, we have 6 out of 10 people who are overweight, and somewhere around 22.7% are obese. A series of activities are carried out at both national, territorial and local levels to promote a healthy way of life so that in the future we achieve a change in behaviour in favour of healthy habits, to practise physical activity, to give up the consumption of tobacco, let's reduce alcohol consumption, have a healthy diet with less salt, sugar and fat", noted Nelea Tabuncic.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an increased consumption of sugar is associated with an increase in body weight and the occurrence of non-communicable diseases, including dental caries.
The data also reveal that a Moldovan, adult or child, consumes 5 times more sugar than his body needs, i.e. 125 grams per day, far exceeding the daily requirement of 25 grams.
Thus, the WHO emphasises the need to reduce the consumption of free simple sugars throughout life to a maximum of 10% of the daily energy requirement or 50 grams per day. At the same time, the authority mentions that a harmless amount of sugar consumed for both adults and children every day would be 5% of the daily energy requirement or 25 grams.
