Friday March 29th, 2024
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Egypt's Fat Crisis

According to a new study by international charity Oxfam, Egypt's food is among the unhealthiest in the world, leading to an obesity crisis that the World Health Organisation has flagged up.

Staff Writer

Egyptian food is among the unhealthiest in the world according a survey by a leading charity. But that isn't stopping Egyptians scoffing it by the truckload, as the same study also revealed that Egyptians are among the fattest in the Middle East.

Egypt scores comes in 80th out over 100 countries on the Oxfam Global Food Index which measures food quality, affordability, alongside obesity and diabetes rates. The study revealed that we rank behind other Middle Eastern countries including Jordan (51) and Saudi Arabia (71) in terms of diet diversity and food quality.

The countries that scored best are the Netherlands, Switzerland and France. Meanwhile Chad ranked worst in the global survey. Egypt also scored a whopping 33.1 on the obesity scale just above the Czech Republic. A similar study by the World Health Organisation found that nearly 70 percent of Egypt’s adult population is overweight or obese, making our country the 14th fattest on the planet.

Interestingly, survey found that there are more overweight and obese females than there are males which could be the reason we’re now seeing a Miss Overweight Egypt beauty pageant.  

The poll claims an estimated three in every four females in the 15 and over age group are said to be overweight or obese, in comparison to approximately 65% of Egyptian males. Experts claim that the rate of obesity in Egypt has risen markedly over the past 30 years due to a rise in fast food outlets.