Doctors note increase of obesity in 30 regions of Russia

MOSCOW. June 7 (Interfax) - There is a tendency towards an increase in the level of obesity among citizens, especially among men, in 30 regions of Russia, Oksana Drapkina, the main visiting specialist on therapy and general medical practice of the Russian Health Ministry, said.

"The monitoring, which began in 1993 [...] shows that obesity in 30 regions of Russia tends to increase, and this tendency is especially clear among men," Drapkina said at a meeting of the government council on social care.

According to a presentation made by the specialist, the obesity rate among men in Russia was 8.3% in 1993, against 23.2% among women. In 2013, it reached 26.9% among men and 30.8% among women. In 2017, the obesity rate increased to 28.1% among men and 32.1% among women. In 2021, it was 30.1% among men and 36.7% among women.

Russians' diet is characterized by a low presence of plant products, in particular, vegetables, fruits and cereals, and an extremely low daily consumption of legumes, Drapkina said. In the meantime, Russians consume a lot of red meat, sweets, salty products and processed meat products, she said.

Viktor Maleyev, a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said in May 2021 up to half of all Russians were overweight. According to his data, up to 50% of Russia's population was overweight and obese, against 60% of the population of the United States. In Europe, this indicator is somewhat lower, some 44%. Fifty percent of the world's women and 40% of the world's men will suffer from obesity by 2025.

Viktor Tutelyan, a researcher with the Federal Research Center for Nutrition, Biotechnology and Food Safety and a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said in July 2020 that 60% of Russia's population was overweight and 20%-25% had Class 1, Class 2 and Class 3 obesity. He called for a more varied and personalized diet and encouraged people to be able to limit themselves ("burn as many calories as you eat") and not to forget about vitamins.