Obesity afflicts about 60 million people in China thanks to the rising prosperity and influx of fatty Western foods accompanying the nation’s opening to the world.
"An increasing number of Chinese are eating more fat and junk food but less grains and vegetables, leading to a high number of cases of high blood pressure and diabetes," said Pan Beilei, deputy director of the State Food and Nutrition Consultant Committee, quoted by Xinhua news agency Monday.
Sixty million people have obesity — roughly equal to the population of France — while 160 million have high blood pressure and 20 million have diabetes, Xinhua reported
Highlighting the ever-growing wealth gap in China, the rising tide of obesity contrasts with the hundreds of millions of Chinese who still live in poverty.
Speaking at a Beijing conference on food and health, Pan blamed the wealth gap between economically booming coastal areas and the hardscrabble interior for the stark contrast in calorie consumption.
Pan called on government and academic organizations to provide more dietary guidance to citizens.
State media said in August that Chinese boys living in cities were now 100 times more likely to be obese than they were 20 years ago.
It cited a study that blamed obesity on a sharp rise in the use of motor vehicles and other modern machinery, and a fiercely competitive school examination system that encourages many Chinese youths to forgo exercise in favor of excessive studying.
