Half of Germans Too Fat

Half of Germany's 83 million population is overweight, the Federal Statistics Office said, citing results of a survey of 370,000 people.

Based on their height, age and sex, 49 percent of Germans' "Body Mass Index" exceeded ideal levels prescribed by the World Health Organization.

Thirteen percent fell within the WHO criterion for very overweight, the Statistics Office said.

"In all age groups, men were more often overweight than women," it said in a statement.

Former male smokers (70 percent) and married men (66 percent) were especially prone to flab. Overall, 58 percent of men were heavier than they should be, up from 56 percent in 1999, the last time the survey was conducted.

The percentage of women judged overweight had hardly changed since 1999, rising slightly to 41 percent from 40 percent, the office said.

Women, especially those aged 18 or 19, were more likely than men to be underweight.

Reference Source 89

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