In five years, every second person is expected to be overweight. 40 percent of people over 18 in the world are currently overweight. Prof. Zdravko Kamenov, Head of the Clinic of Endocrinology and Diseases of Exchange at the Aleksandrovska University Hospital, said this at the BTA National Press Club. According to him, the problem is greater for women than for men, and Bulgaria ranks on one of the first places on the indicators of overweight and obesity.

32 percent of the Bulgarians are overweight, said Prof. Kamenov.

Body mass index is an objective criterion that shows whether a person suffers from obesity, but not only weight is important in determining whether the person suffers from overweight and obesity, said Assoc. Prof. Plamen Popivanov, Head of Clinical Densitometry and Bone Metabolic Diseases in the same hospital. The doctor explained that the distribution of pounds in muscle, bone, fat and more tissues is also essential. If the waist circumference of men is over 102 cm and over 88 cm in women, it is considered that there is an increased risk of developing chronic diseases.

The complications that can result from obesity are sleep apnea, dyslipidemia, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, tumors, osteoarthritis, depression and more. The risk of developing complications is significantly reduced if the body weight is reduced by at least 5 percent, Assoc. Prof. Popivanov said.

Obesity can be corrected, but the disease must be multifactorial, said Natalia Temelkova, an endocrinologist at Alexandrovska Hospital.

The therapy should include physical exercise, lifestyle change and diet. Medication or bariatric surgery should be included when needed, explained Prof. Temelkova. The doctor emphasized that there is no one-size-fits-all diet and added that the lack of eggs and milk in vegan diets poses risks for the future. 

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