Health Fears for Obese¹ Children

摘要：
    欧洲青少年的体重在过去15年里一直呈不断增加的趋势。目前，专家们将注意力集中在了由肥胖而引起的大量健康问题。
    Around half a million children in Europe are suffering classic health problems of the middle-aged² because they are too fat, according to new estimates.

    欧洲青少年的体重在过去15年里一直呈不断增加的趋势。目前，专家们将注意力集中在了由肥胖而引起的大量健康问题。

    英国《每日邮报》网站6月2日报道，根据专家的最新估计，大约有50万欧洲青少年正受着那些原本应当出现在中年人身上的疾病的折磨，原因是他们太胖了。在英国，有五分之一的孩子体重超标甚至极其肥胖，西班牙有30％而意大利高达36％。另外美国的青少年也有30％肥胖。

    在最近于雅典召开的欧洲肥胖问题大会上，专家们提交了一份新的分析报告指出，高血压、胆固醇增高、血糖调节能力降低以及其它通常被统称为新陈代谢综合症的疾病正随着欧洲青少年肥胖率的上升而越来越多地被诊断出来。这份分析报告是由研究肥胖问题的专家组成的名叫“国际肥胖特别行动队”的组织提交。报告称：“这些数字提示我们，欧盟国家的青少年很快便会赶上他们的美国同伴了，美国新陈代谢综合症患者的数量在不到10年的时间里从91万人猛增到200万人。”

    据“国际肥胖特别行动队”组织估计，约有2000名到1万名欧洲青少年已经有了明显的糖尿病症状，而该病通常出现在中年人身上。

    欧盟负责健康与消费者保护委员会委员马科斯·基普里亚努向大会提交了一份声明，简要介绍了即将在全欧洲范围内实行的限制向青少年出售不健康食品的法令，以及在农业、教育和运输方面所推行的针对肥胖问题的更为广泛的政策举措。基普里亚努表示，欧盟将在年内发布新的节食与运动策略，同时还要将相关文件拿来与食品行业、反肥胖活动家以及其他人士共同协商，以期在2006年底制定出最终的行动计划。

    世界卫生组织去年在征得各国卫生部长同意后，开始实施一项全球性的节食与锻炼行动策略，欧盟的举措则被认为是对这一前所未有行动的回应。

    （张咏）

    Around half a million children in Europe are suffering classic health problems of the middle-aged because they are too fat, according to new estimates.

    The levels of obesity³ among Europe's children have been on the rise over the last 15 years, but experts are now starting to see the health consequences emerge on a large scale.

    In Britain, one in five children is overweight or obese. In Spain the figure rises to 30% of children, and in Italy it reaches 36%. According to US government estimates, 30% of American children are overweight or obese.

    In a new analysis presented at the start of this year's European Congress on Obesity in Athens, experts reported that high blood pressure, raised cholesterol⁴, damaged blood sugar regulation and other dangerous conditions -- often referred to collectively as the metabolic⁵ syndrome⁶ -- were increasingly being identified alongside the rising levels of childhood obesity in Europe.

    "The figures suggest that children in the EU could soon be measuring up to their counterparts in the US, where the numbers affected⁷ by the metabolic syndrome doubled from 910,000 to two million in less than 10 years," said the analysis by the International Obesity Task Force, a network of eminent⁸ obesity scientists and policy experts.

    The group estimated that between 2,000 and 10,000 European children already had the type of diabetes⁹ usually diagnosed in middle age.

    As the estimates were unveiled, a statement was delivered to the conference on behalf of EU Commissioner¹⁰ for Health and Consumer Protection Markos Kyprianou.

    He outlined plans for a Europewide code of conduct to rein¹¹ in the marketing¹² of unhealthy food to children and broader policy initiatives across agriculture, education and transport that address the obesity problem.

    The European Union would publish a new strategy on diet and exercise before the end of the year and submit the document to public consultation¹³ with the food industry, anti-obesity activists¹⁴ and others to shape a final plan by the end of 2006, Mr Kyprianou said.

    The move echoes unprecedented¹⁵ steps taken last year by the World Health Organisation¹⁶, which launched a global strategy on diet and physical activity after health ministers from around the world approved the plan.