Prevalence of overweight and abdominal obesity in Greek children 6-12 years old: Results from the National Epidemiological Survey.

OBJECTIVE: To provide estimates of overweight (OW), obesity (OB) and abdominal obesity (AO) in a sample of children throughout the whole of Greece. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This epidemiological, cross-sectional survey examined 3,140 children aged 6-12 y (1,589 boys and 1,551 girls) who were selected by stratified sampling through household family members of Greek adolescents attending school. Participants reported data on height, weight and waist circumference (WC). BMI and Waist-to-Height ratio (WHtR) were calculated. AO was estimated using WC and WHtR. RESULTS: Overall prevalence of OW including OB was 31.2% in boys and 26.5% in girls, while OB prevalence was 9.4% and 6.4% respectively. The prevalence of AO based on WC (AO-WC), was similar in girls (14.2%) and boys (12.5%) while the prevalence of AO, based on WHtR (AO-WHtR), was higher in boys than in girls (25.6% vs 20.0%, p<0.0001). With increasing age, the prevalence of OW and OB decreases in both genders, and AO-WHtR only in girls. Rates of OW were significantly more prevalent in Greeks than in immigrants. CONCLUSIONS: Overweight and obesity in Greek children is very prevalent, particularly in boys, comparable with that reported for Mediterranean European countries. Abdominal obesity also appears high. Preventive and treatment strategies are urgently needed to combat this national epidemic.

The consumption of bread enriched with betaglucan reduces LDL-cholesterol and improves insulin resistance in patients with type 2 diabetes.

AIM: Previous studies have shown that the water-soluble dietary fibre betaglucan, a natural component of oats, reduces cholesterol and postprandial hyperglycaemia. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of betaglucan-enriched bread consumption on the lipid profile and glucose homoeostasis of patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). METHODS: We conducted a randomized, double-blind study in which 46 patients with T2D and LDL-C greater than 3.37 mmol/l (130 mg/dl) were randomized to incorporate into their diet, for 3 weeks, either bread enriched with betaglucan (providing 3g/day of betaglucan) or white bread without betaglucan. RESULTS: The consumption of bread containing betaglucan led to significant reductions (vs the control group) in LDL-C of 0.66 mmol/l (15.79%) versus 0.11 mmol/l (2.71%) (P=0.009), in total cholesterol of 0.80 mmol/l (12.80%) versus 0.12 mmol/l (1.88%) (P=0.006), in Fasting plasma insulin (FPI) of 3.23 microU/ml versus an increase of 3.77 microU/ml (P=0.03) and in Homa-IR (Homoeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance) by 2.08 versus an increase of 1.33 (P=0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Betaglucan enriched bread may contribute to the improvement of the lipid profile and insulin resistance in patients with T2D.

First national epidemiological survey on the prevalence of obesity and abdominal fat distribution in Greek adults.

AIM: To provide estimates of the prevalence of obesity, overweight and body fat distribution among the adult population of Greece. DESIGN: Epidemiological, cross-sectional nationwide survey providing self-reported data. SUBJECTS: A total of 17,341 men and women aged from 20 to 70 years and classified into five 10-year age groups participated. The selection was conducted by stratified sampling through household family members of Greek children attending school. MEASUREMENTS: The participants reported data on weight, height, waist and hip circumference. BMI and waist-to-hip ratio were calculated. Abdominal obesity was defined as waist circumference > or = 102 cm in men and > or = 88 cm in women. RESULTS: In the total population, the mean BMI was 26.5 kg/m2, (27.3 in men, 25.7 in women). The overall prevalence of obesity was 22.5%, (26% in men, 18.2% in women) while that of overweight was 35.2% (41.1% in men, 29.9% in women). The percentages of obesity and overweight in men were similar in almost all age groups, while in women they progressively increased with age. Abdominal obesity was more frequent among women than men (35.8 vs. 26.6%, respectively), especially after the age of 50. CONCLUSIONS: Excess body weight is reaching epidemic proportions in Greece and obesity rates are among the highest, if not the highest, in Western society. The problem affects particularly men, and women after menopause. Interestingly, more women than men present with abdominal obesity. Preventive and treatment strategies are urgently needed to stop the obesity epidemic in this Mediterranean European country.