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Food Science 2019
November 11-12, 2019
Food Science and Technology
November 11-12, 2019 | London, UK
3
rd
International Conference on
Volume 3
Applied Food Science Journal
Appl Food Sci J. | Volume 3
Obesity and overweight among Arab population in Middle East
Bowirrat Abdalla
An-Najah National University, Palestine
A
t the time that one third of the globe populations still suffers poverty and under-nutrition; two third are
struggling against overindulge foods which lead to overweight and obesity, where these observable facts kill
more people than malnourished and underweight population. Obesity and overweight are an important adaptable
risk factor for many chronic diseases and are the fifth leading risk for global deaths. The World Health Organization
predicts there will be 2.5 billion overweight adults in the world by 2017 and more than 750 million of them will be
obese. Epidemiological studies of obesity in the Mediterranean basin were limited, particularly for Arab population.
Nevertheless, the effects of overweight and obesity are widely documented as one of the recent leading Arab health
challenges. Indeed, many efforts have been made to stress the role of cultural attitudes that may underlie the high
prevalence of obesity among Arab population. Historically, bread is the main staple in the Arab’s diet and consumed
widely. Decades ago bread was homemade by whole-wheat flour, today the consumed bread is almost store-bought
or commercially produced white-flour bread. Indeed, this is one of many examples that describes the transition from
traditional diet to the modern lifestyle characterized by low fibers and high fat dietary patterns. In fact, Arab community
has undergone major transitions in lifestyle – from agricultural to predominantly urban lifestyle. The transition was
primarily influenced by changes in the modernization, westernization and socioeconomic status. Adopting less healthy
dietary patterns, such as high carbohydrates, low fiber and high fat diet consumption, in addition to relinquishing the
Mediterranean diet have been the main reasons of overweight and obesity among Arab population in Middle East.