BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Obesity is a growing public health problem in eastern and central Europe despite improving diets since the fall of communism, nutritionists at a European food safety conference said Wednesday.

East and central Europeans were eating more fruit and vegetables than before the collapse of the Iron Curtain, benefiting from increased trade in agricultural produce, but diets still contained too much fat, regional and United Nations nutritionists told Reuters on the sidelines of the event.

Mirroring a trend seen in other parts of the world, increasing obesity appeared to be taking hold, especially among the older generation, as people led increasingly sedentary lifestyles.

"I think obesity is a much bigger problem than it was before," said Lucjan Szponar, a senior nutritionist with Poland's Food and Nutrition Institute in Warsaw.

He said that over the past 12 years in his country, average life expectancy had jumped by almost four years, due largely to improved diet. But obesity, linked to health problems such as diabetes, hypertension and heart disease, was a growing concern.

He estimated that in Poland, 20% of women and 17% of men were obese. There were no reliable figures for obesity across the region.

CHOICES PEOPLE MAKE

Szponar said that in Poland, people led less physically demanding lives these days and used cars more often.

Nikolay Rizov, a senior researcher with Bulgaria's nutrition institute, said that in his country people were far better educated about healthy eating than before the fall of communism, and had a much wider range of fresh foods to choose from throughout the year.

"Lifestyle changes in eastern and central Europe are directly related to people's health and the choices they make," said Michael Canon, food standards and nutrition officer with the Rome-based UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

"If a person does not know the consequences of these choices, problems of obesity will increase," he added.

The UN food and health bodies are leading campaigns in eastern and central Europe to advise people on a balanced diet. The Geneva-based World Health Organization (WHO) has launched its first action plan for food and nutrition policy, targeted at Europe for the period 2000-2005, said WHO food safety officer Cristina Tirado.

"Growing, buying and eating the right kinds of foods can reduce the risk of disease," the action plan says, urging strategies to ensure food safety, optimal nutrition and a sustainable food supply.

FAO has distributed a document to schools in eastern and central Europe, entitled "Get the best from your food," which gives simple advice on choosing a balanced diet, Canon said.

Rizov said that while public health initiatives helped reduce problems such as obesity, some people could not be influenced in the choices they make.

Reference Source 89

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