Obesity in Germany

In 1998, 19 percent of men and 22.5 percent of women met the definition of obesity.[3] Childhood obesity doubled between 1985 and 1999.[4] Childhood obesity is at about 1.9 million children in Germany; of which 800.000 are considered truly obese.[4]

Chart showing that Germany had the most overweight and obese people among Europeans in 2007

A 2007 study shows Germany had the highest number of overweight people in Europe.[5][6] However, the United Kingdom, Greece and certain countries in Eastern Europe have a higher rate of "truly obese" people.[7] In 2007, The German obesity rate was considered at the same level as with the American obesity rate.[8] In Germany, 60% of men and 43% of women are considered overweight while in France, 38.5% of men and 26% of women are considered overweight.[9] Germans are considered thinner than people in the United Kingdom.[9] The waist of female Germans between the ages of 14 and 70 grew by 4.1 centimetres between 1994 and 2009.[10] The belly girth of men between 16 and 70 grew by 4.4 centimetres between 1980 and 2009.[10]

The number of overweight people in Germany has stagnated between 1998 and December 2011.[11] 67.1% of all men between 18 and 79 are considered overweight with a BMI of 25 or greater.[11]In 2019, the proportion of overweight and obese people in Germany was at an average level for the EU-27.[12]

Italy has surpassed Germany for having the fattest children in Europe.[13] A survey in 2007 had Germany listed as the country with "the highest proportion of overweight children in Europe."[13] However, despite dropping in the rankings, the number of truly obese children have doubled in the past decade.[14]

Around 4% of 5 to 7 year-olds and 8% of 10 to 14 year-olds are obese in Germany.[15]

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern go on foot or by bicycle to get where they need to more often than any other state.[16] Mecklenburg-Vorpommern has the most people living a "completely healthy" life at a rate of 19.8% of the people while Saxony-Anhalt have the fewest people living a "completely healthy" life.[16] Thuringia has the healthiest eating habits while people from North Rhine-Westphalia and Berlin have the worst eating habits.[16]

A high consumption of beer, fatty and processed foods and a lack of exercise are to be blamed for obesity in Germany.[7][17][18]

Another issue is the lack of fruits, vegetables and fish in the German diet.[17] Children's food products do not contribute to a healthy diet.[19]

Die Welt reported that a "balanced diet is practically impossible."[19] The profit margin for fruits and vegetables was below five percent while confectionery, soft drinks and snacks was at 15% or more.[19]

Genes partly play a role in obesity.[20] Scientists at the German Institute of Human Nutrition and the University Hospital of Leipzig stated that identified two genes that promote fat accumulation in the abdominal cavity.[21] The increased activity of the genes also promotes the release of an enzyme that is responsible for the formation of cortisol.[21] A permanent increase in cortisol levels contribute to obesity.[21]

Marriage has played a factor.[9] Sixty-nine percent of married men are considered overweight while only 43% of single men are considered overweight.[9] Fifty-eight percent of widowed women are considered overweight and 46% of married women are considered overweight, while only 25% of single women are considered overweight.[9] For children, lifestyle choices such as exercise and enough sleep plays a role in weight.[13]

A study by the German Sport University Cologne revealed that some industries in Germany have a shortage of qualified trainees due to Germany's obesity epidemic.[22] The industries affected are security and emergency services and skilled manual work sectors.[22]

A clothing-related study revealed that many clothing companies plan to adjust their sizing partly due to Germany's obesity epidemic.[10]

Several studies have shown that obese men tend to have a lower sperm count, fewer rapidly mobile sperm and fewer progressively motile sperm compared to normal-weight men.[23]

Obesity in Germany has created a cholesterol problem.[17] High cholesterol is known to cause premature death, angina, heart disease and strokes.[17]

There has been an increase of children with Type 1 diabetes between 1996 and 2011.[24] Diabetics are at higher risk for complications such as heart attack and stroke.[24] In Germany, 600,000 people suffered from diabetes near the end of World War II compared to eight million now.[24]

Obesity can increase risk for secondary diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, certain cancers and Alzheimer's.[14] Children who get diabetes can expect to lose 10 to 15 years off of their lives.[24] Diabetes also affect the eyes, kidneys and nerves in the legs.[24]

Obesity is a "very strong promoter of cancer."[25] Obesity causes an increased risk for colon cancer and breast cancer.[25]

Health costs because of obesity has increased and accounts for 20% of health costs.[8] A third of patients suffer from a loss of control when eating and how much out of control depends on how fat the patient is.[14]

Obesity in seniors shows that it makes seniors less intelligent.[26]

The Fit instead of Fat program is run by the German federal government. The objective of the program is to "sharply" reduce obesity rates by the year 2020.[5][6] The program will try and meet the target by improving the quality of food offered in schools and hospitals along with increasing exercise levels in children.[5][6]

As of 2007, forty percent of the Bundeswehr's 300,000 conscripts doing military service are considered overweight.[27][28] A 2007 report declared "excessive bureaucracy" for limiting the time soldiers have to exercise.[28] As a result, an anti-obesity fitness camp opened in Warendorf, North Rhine-Westphalia.[27]

A hospital in Leverkusen, North Rhine-Westphalia started Projekt Kugelblitz to help obese children and adolescence.[29] The aim of the program is to "improve the self-perception, so that the participants develop more sensitive to the context of frustration and compulsive eating, and the selection and preparation of foods and of exercise and well-being".[29]

An anti-obesity clinic in Wesseling, North Rhine-Westphalia works with a maximum of eight participants for 27 months.[30] The program is about nutrition counseling, physical exercise and behavior therapy.[30] Each week they are cared for in highly structured and interlinked courses and motivated.[30] Up to 80 appointments are intended per year.[30]

North Rhine-Westphalia introduced fitness test for students in the second grade due to an increase of children and adolescents being overweight.[31] The students will be weighed and be put through a series of eight exercises.[31] The state government also wants to fund sports for children who have a weight problem.[31]