Children are now suffering from what used to be considered adult health conditions as a result of rising obesity trends, according to cardiac surgeon Alex Manché.
The problems include high blood pressure, high cholesterol and type two diabetes, he said, adding that addiction to junk food not only appeared early in children but was also very strong.
Maltese men topped the European charts for obesity in 2009 and women were second.
Speaking at a public lecture, Mr Manché said lack of exercise was a major contributor to these alarming figures.
Resorting to yo-yo dieting was unhealthy, while sodas should be swapped for two litres of water daily. People could actually gain a kilo for every 20 small bottles of soda they consumed.
The pattern of fat deposition was also an important factor when it came to health risks, he said, noting there were two main types of body shapes: the apple and the pear.
In apple-shaped bodies, fat settles down around the stomach while in pear-shaped ones, fat deposits itself around the hips and the bottom.
The apple shape, which is related to the most serious ailments, could double the risk of heart disease.
Another possible repercussion of weight depositing around the central part of the body is sleep apnoea, which includes pauses in breathing during sleep and consequent poor driving because of daytime drowsiness.
Speaking about cholesterol – which is a substance that causes diseases but is also essential to the normal cell function – Mr Manché said it was important to distinguish between high-density lipoprotein (HDL), also known as the “good cholesterol” and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or the “bad cholesterol”.
In order to keep LDL levels low, people needed to cut back on food with high sugar and processed foods, Mr Manché said.
Oily fish, extra virgin olive oil and garlic helped lower LDL and increase HDL.
On the other hand, transfats, or chemically altered vegetable oils, which were found in thousands of processed foods including biscuits and ready-made meals, raised LDL and lowered HDL.
A popular solution that is employed as a secondary prevention following a heart attack is statins, a class of drugs used to lower cholesterol levels. Still, while reducing LDL levels, these did nothing to HDL levels and may be associated with side effects such as abnormalities of the liver function and muscle aching.
Exercise, however, had no such side effects, he insisted.
Another speaker at the seminar, one in a series organised by Flora pro.activ about cholesterol and obesity, was nutritionist Alicia Galea. She reiterated that Maltese children and adults were among the heaviest and insisted on a cholesterol-lowering diet and weight management.
Small portions, restricting fats but still consuming carbohydrates, avoiding empty calories like soda, and an adequate water intake were the best way to lose weight and overweight people should lose only between 0.25 and one kilo per week, she said.
Two other seminars will be on March 24 and April 7 – World Health Day. Get more details from 2148 4103 or 2148 9383, info@mz.com.mt or http://facebook.com/mzmltd .