WHO says Spanish enjoy "extremely good health"

A study published by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday indicated that the Spanish in general enjoy "extremely good health."

The 2015 Global Health Statistics, which were presented in London, highlighted that the average life expectancy in Spain is 79.5 years for men and 85.5 for women: longer than anywhere else in Europe.

Claudia Stein, director of the Division of Information, Evidence, Investigation and innovation in the WHO European Regional Office, called this "a tremendous achievement," which she put down to "a combination of lifestyle and diet," with the public health system also playing a role.

Although the Spanish are in good health they are becoming increasingly obese, the report said, highlighting that 23.7 of those aged 18 or over were obese in 2014, higher than the 22.1 percent in 2010, although well below the level of Britain where 28.1 percent of the population suffer obesity.

"Spain enjoys what we call the 'Mediterranean diet,' with a lot of olive oil and relatively few saturated fats, but the fact obesity has risen is not just down to diet, physical activity has declined, especially among young people," explained Stein, who warned that should there continue to be more fat people, that would "put at risk many of the good results that have been obtained in health issues."

"It would be a tragedy," she said, especially as Spaniards are now consuming less alcohol and stopping smoking at a rate which is above the European Union average.

A report published earlier this month showed the benefits of the Mediterranean diet in helping prevent breast cancer among women. The report showed that four tablespoons of olive oil a day could reduce the risk of contracting the illness by two thirds. Endit