Qatar named the FATTEST country on Earth...the rich always don`t lead healthy lives

Qatar named as the fattest nation on earth where HALF of all adults are obese
17 per cent of the population suffering from diabetes

DAILY MAIL
April 14, 2012

Qatar, the richest nation on earth, is also the fattest with half of all adults obese and 17 per cent of the population suffering from diabetes.

By comparison America, which is often assumed to be the fattest, looks positively slim with a third of adults obese and eight per cent diabetic.

Out of a population of 1.7million, just 250,000 are native Qataris, who, in the space of just two generations have switched from a tribal existence to living in air conditioned villas being waited on by armies of servants.

Recipe for disaster: Wealthy Qataris do very little exercise, are waited on by armies of servants and have developed a love of fast food. Photo credit: Daily Mail

Qataris are developing diabetes a decade younger than average, which, in turn, is pushing up rates of illnesses like hypertension, partial paralysis, heart disease, and blindness.

The tiny Arab state, with its vast supplies of oil and natural gas, became the richest nation in the world last year as measured by per capita gross domestic product.

(Left) Mr Big: Qatar's leader Sheik Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, photo credit: Daily Mail

In recent years Qataris have developed a love of fast food with branches of KFC and McDonald's springing up in the many air conditioned malls.
Hassan Tiaz, 19, told Atlantic magazine: It's because in Qatar we just sit, smoke and eat junk food.

'There's not too much work. Everything is automatic and most of us just sit in air-conditioned offices and cars. Everything is done for us.'

The nation also suffers from a high rate of birth defects and genetic disorders - which experts put down to the custom of inter-marriage between close family members and cousins.

Sharoud Al-Jundi Matthis, the program manager at the Qatar Diabetes Association, said: 'It's a very, very serious problem facing the future of Qatar.

'They're concentrating the gene pool, and at the same time, they're facing rapid affluence.

Adel Al-Sharshani, 39, who was diagnosed with diabetes several years ago, said: 'Everybody in Qatar knows about diabetes, but the problem is, it's talking only. No one is taking care of it.
'I ignored all the advice until it was too late, and that is what other people are doing too. It's dangerous

'I am afraid of losing my eyes, my foot. I am afraid of losing my life.'

The Qatari government is desperately trying to tackle the problem by launching campaigns to encourage healthy eating and exercise.

Maher Safi, marketing director at the Qatar Olympic Committee, explained: 'Our main focus is encouraging people to be active, getting them to lead healthy lifestyles -- that's our vision.'
'In the past few years, the committee has launched public programs administering free body-mass indexes and sugar level tests, disseminated material about healthy eating, and introduced initiatives to schools to help children learn about new sports, like handball, tennis, and bicycling.

Fructose a danger to adolescents, better put that soda bottle down

Fructose is found to increase cardiovascular and diabetes risk in adolescents
Natural News
by: John Phillip
Wednesday, February 15, 2012

(NaturalNews) Researchers at the Medical College of Georgia at Georgia Health Sciences University have published evidence that cardiovascular disease and diabetes risk is present in the blood fractions of adolescents who consume a lot of fructose, a scenario that worsens in the face of excess belly fat. Published in the Journal of Nutrition, scientists determined that high dietary fructose consumption results in lower levels of cardiovascular protectors such as HDL cholesterol and adiponectin, due in part to how the body metabolizes the fruit-based mega-sweetener at the cellular level. Excess body fat accumulated around the mid-section, a rapidly growing problem in adolescents, compounds the problem when compared to those with less visceral fat deposits. A wealth of scientifically validated research studies now highlight the importance of eliminating fructose in all its forms from the diets of both adults and children alike to dramatically reduce risk of diabetes and heart disease.

The study detailed an analysis of 559 adolescents, aged 14 to 18 and detailed cardiovascular risk factors including high blood pressure, fasting glucose, insulin resistance and blood inflammatory factors. Excess fat around the midsection was found to exacerbate the identified risk factors, as compared to those with generalized fat right beneath the skin known as subcutaneous fat, where an association was not evident.

Fructose metabolism increases risk from metabolic and fatty liver disease

Consumption of fructose is higher in children and adolescents, placing them at increased risk for heart disease and metabolic disorders such as diabetes. Fructose or simple fruit sugar is naturally found in fruits and vegetables where it is closely bound with fiber and is slowly released into the blood stream. Many processed food and drink manufacturers use liberal quantities of pure high fructose corn syrup extract that is metabolized through a different pathway as compared to glucose or table sugar.

One of the study authors, Dr. Norman Pollock noted "Fructose itself is metabolized differently than other sugars and has some byproducts that are believed to be bad for us... there's something in the syrup processing that plays a role in the bad byproducts of metabolism." The Corn Refiners Association, through a never ending barrage of advertisements, wants you to believe that there is no difference between high fructose corn syrup and regular sugar. Medical research has documented that fructose is processed primarily in the liver where it wreaks havoc, leading to fatty liver disease and even cirrhosis after excessive and repeated exposure.

Parents and caregivers to children will want to dramatically curb or eliminate fructose in the diet by removing processed foods and sugary beverages. Limit fruit consumption and natural fruit juices that can lead to excess consumption of the fruit sugar. It is especially important to read nutritional labels as fructose and high fructose corn syrup appear in many unsuspecting food sources. Nutrition experts recommend limiting natural fructose consumption to no more than 25 grams per day at an early age to minimize the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes in later life.

Sources for this article include:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120124140317.htm
http://jn.nutrition.org/content/142/2/251
http://www.sciencenewsline.com/medicine/summary/2012012417080018.html

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/034973_fructose_cardiovascular_disease_diabetes.html#ixzz1mVt0vJ4F

Low Vitamin D levels in children may explain the recent surge in diabetes cases

Low vitamin D in children behind current explosion of new diabetes cases
Thursday, December 15, 2011 by: John Phillip
NaturalNews.com

(NaturalNews) Researchers publishing in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism have found that children with low vitamin D levels, especially when overweight and obese, are at much higher risk for developing insulin resistance that progresses to full-blown diabetes by early adulthood. Based on cellular saturation of the vitamin/prohormone, children and adults require higher amounts of vitamin D as body weight increases. The vast majority of children are vitamin D deficient, a problem exacerbated further by additional fat stores. In addition to a healthy lifestyle including plenty of physical activity and proper diet, parents will want to ensure their children reach proper blood levels of this critical vitamin through exposure to the sun or adequate supplementation.

...New cases of diabetes and prediabetes are now found in young adults and even children at an alarming and increasing rate. This research highlights the connection between low vitamin D levels, excess body weight and...

[click here to read the full article]

image credit: naturalnews