Through its recent annual scientific event, the ESC Congress 2005, held in Stockholm, 3-7 September, the ESC uncovered various results with respect to weight control and exercise and CVD.
According to one study revealed during the ESC Congress by Professor Sans Menndez, obesity is increasing in both sexes and at all ages in nearly all European countries due to a steady increase of total caloric intake and absence of sufficient daily exercise. In Southern Europe, Professor Sans Menndez said that a departure from traditional Mediterranean diets toward manufactured foods may be contributing to the trend. She also pointed out that strong marketing pressure to consume foods high in total fat, refined sugar and salt makes children particularly vulnerable.
With regard to sport, two medical experts who spoke during the ESC Congress, Professors Hambrecht and Schmid, both agreed on the benefits of physical exercise as a preventive measure against heart disease. Professor Hambrecht said that moderately active persons were 30-40% less likely to die from heart disease as compared to the inactive, sedentary person. He went on to say that despite this solid epidemiologic evidence, the proportion of people who do not engage in sports at all continues to increase. He added that lack of sports is closely related to the epidemic of other risk factors for future heart attacks: Obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol levels. According to Professor
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Contact: Gina Dellios
gdellios@escardio.org
33-4-92-94-86-27
European Society of Cardiology
25-Sep-2005