KSA 3rd in world obesity ranking

RIYADH: The Lancet has placed the Kingdom in the third position in the world, after Malta and Swaziland, in terms of obesity and laziness, triggering warnings from Saudi experts.
The British medical journal has put the ratio of laziness and obesity in the Kingdom at 86 percent, which is one of the main causes of diseases like diabetes — a disease afflicting 25 percent of the Saudi population.
Referring to the Lancet survey, Saudi dietitians and doctors warned, through social media, against the dangers of obesity and bad eating habits.
Dr. Khalid Al-Ajjaji is one of the experts who have expressed concern over the high rate of diabetes in the Kingdom. He said that a local study found that 70 percent of Saudis were overweight and not obese.
“Many people mix obesity with being overweight. This differs as per the body mass index, popularly known as BMI,” he tweeted.
Al-Ajjaji said that obesity is not a hereditary disease, but eating habits are mainly to blame for it. “Habits such as staying awake at night and encouraging others to do so and indulging in eating just for fun lead to obesity and diseases like diabetes and blood pressure.
He said that the most common cause of obesity is bad eating habits, lack of physical activity, staying awake till late in the night and eating just before sleeping.
“The hereditary, psychological and hormonal reasons are not the biggest reasons in the international statistics on obesity. The solution of this disease lies in creating awareness in society for improving the eating habits and promoting the sports culture,” he added.