Obesity can shorten the lifespan by six to seven years

The topic of obesity was tackled during the Rotary Club of Freeport's meeting yesterday.

Nutritionist Jourdan Bowe said studies have shown that obesity can shorten the lifespan by six to seven years.

"This is because it increases your risk for a variety of diseases," Bowe said. "In The Bahamas, recent statistics show that seven out of 10 Bahamians are overweight or obese. Thats 70 percent and that's a pretty large number of the population.

"This is a huge problem because it is not only affecting adults, but it's affecting children, adolescents and adults. The 70 percent includes the entire population. What we are seeing now is you have children in their teens, people in early 20s with type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol. Because it is so early in someone's life, it puts them at risk for developing complications and for the disease to progress as they age."

Naming some of the affects of obesity, Bowe said they are type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol all of which she said is overwhelming in the community.

She further said that working at the Rand Memorial Hospital they have quite a lot of patients who have all three problems.

Bowe stated that all of this is tied to our diet which is primarily starches.

She advised the diet be dealt with by Bahamians adding more fruits and vegetables to their diet and to cut down on the amount of starches they eat as well as the portions in which they eat.

For some, she said, meats are not good, but she said they should always increase the amount of fiber in their diets.