SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - An obesity pandemic threatens to overwhelm health systems around the globe with illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease, experts at an international conference warned Sunday.
"This insidious, creeping pandemic of obesity is now engulfing the entire world," Paul Zimmet, chairman of the meeting of more than 2,500 experts and health officials, said in a speech opening the weeklong International Congress on Obesity. "It's as big a threat as global warming and bird flu."
The World Health Organization says more than 1 billion adults are overweight and 300 million of them are obese, putting them at much higher risk of diabetes, heart problems, high blood pressure, stroke and some forms of cancer.
Zimmet, a diabetes expert at Australia's Monash University, said there are now more overweight people in the world than the undernourished, who number about 600 million.
People in wealthy countries lead in overeating and not doing enough physical activity, but those in the poorer nations of Asia, Africa and Latin America are quickly learning bad habits, experts said.
Thailand's Public Health Ministry, for instance, announced Sunday that nearly one in three Thais over age 35 is at risk of obesity-related diseases.
Among the most worrying problems are skyrocketing rates of obesity among children, which make them much more prone to chronic diseases as they grow older and could shave years off their lives, experts said.
The children in this generation may be the first in history to die before their parents because of health problems related to weight, Kate Steinbeck, an expert in children's health at Sydney's Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, said in a statement.
Experts at the conference said governments should impose bans on junk food advertising aimed directly at children, although they acknowledged such restrictions were unlikely to come about soon because the food industry would lobby hard against them.
Monday, September 04, 2006
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Pray for Our Team in Cuba
Tuesday, September 5, 8:00 a.m. Prayer in the Sanctuary
Our team is building a new church. They have been given this surprising opportunity in Cuba, and if I know Lynn, Larry, Gene, Ben, and Jason...they will work all day and night to get this job done. Reports indicate that are laying the foundation now.
Pray for their stamina, ingenuity, and provision and protection. This opportunity is unimaginable! When this story is finally told, these men will have built a building for a new testament church in Cuba.
Our team is building a new church. They have been given this surprising opportunity in Cuba, and if I know Lynn, Larry, Gene, Ben, and Jason...they will work all day and night to get this job done. Reports indicate that are laying the foundation now.
Pray for their stamina, ingenuity, and provision and protection. This opportunity is unimaginable! When this story is finally told, these men will have built a building for a new testament church in Cuba.
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