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Athens Poseidon Half Marathon-Fun Runs raise awareness on obesity, diabetes

Xinhua, April 26, 2015 Adjust font size:

Hundreds of people of all ages participated on Sunday in the sixth edition of the annual Athens Poseidon Half Marathon-Fun Runs along the Greek capital's southern coastal zone, raising awareness on obesity and diabetes.

From kids to the elderly participants ran a half marathon, a relay course, a charity and kids' route, joined a power walking event and a parallel music marathon without competing for medals, but for a good cause.

The overall event was named after Poseidon, the God of the Sea in ancient Greek mythology.

The key message of all runners and organizers, the Municipality of Palaion Faliron and the Hellenic Diabetes Association, was "eat well, run well, live well."

Greeks, in particular younger generations, who have turned their backs on the Mediterranean diet, regular exercise and healthy living in recent years, are faced with severe health problems linked to obesity and diabetes.

Greek children aged 5 to 17 are the fattest in the world on average, according to the latest study by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. About 44 percent of boys and 38 percent of girls in Greece today are overweight or obese, followed by neighbor Italians and Slovenians.

Experts attribute the rise in childhood obesity in Greece, Italy and Slovenia to the financial crisis.

In overall obesity rates, the OECD average stands at 18.4 percent and Greeks 19.6 percent.

In regards to diabetes which is linked to obesity in several cases, according to official data, about 900,000 Greek adults have diabetes (about 9-10 percent of the total population).

An additional 634,500 citizens (7.4 percent of the population) suffer from impaired glucose tolerance (prediabetes).

About 6,500 Greeks die from diabetes each year. About 40,000 new cases are diagnosed on an annual basis. About 500 cases concern children and young people of up to 30 years old.

Scientists of the Hellenic National Centre for the Research, Prevention and Treatment for Diabetes forecast that with no radical change in diet habits and lifestyle, the situation will deteriorate in the future, with an estimated 1.2 million adults with diabetes in 2030. Endit