Life News
Nearly half of all Cypriots are overweight, study finds
By DPA
May 15, 2008, 12:36 GMT

Athens/Nicosia - Nearly one in two Cypriots are reported to be overweight, increasing the risk of developing chronic and metabolic conditions such as heart disease and diabetes, experts said Wednesday.

'There is a big problem with nutrition in Cyprus because people have started to get out of control,' Cyprus Dietetic Association (CYDA) President Eleni Andreou was quoted by the Cyprus Mail as saying.

More than half of the population in Cyprus is overweight, according to a recent study on obesity by CYDA conducted in co- operation with the universities of Cyprus and Crete.

The study, which is a random national sample of 1,000 men and women aged 18 to 80, found that 34 per cent of Cypriots aged 20 to 80 are overweight and 23 per cent are obese.

Results showed that nearly 54 per cent of men are overweight and 29 per cent obese and nearly 25 per cent of women are overweight and 26 per cent are obese.

Of those interviewed, 44 per cent said they had been diagnosed with specific conditions or suffered from health problems such as heart conditions, hyperglycemia, hypertension and diabetes.