Brazil: a country of obese people and dangerous medications.

Agência Brasil - A survey released this Monday, the 18th, by the Ministry of Health shows that almost half (48,1%) of the adult Brazilian population is overweight and that 15% of Brazilians are obese. Five years ago, the proportion was 42,7% for overweight and 11,4% for obesity. The Surveillance of Risk and Protective Factors for Chronic Diseases by Telephone Survey (Vigitel Brasil 2010) indicates that more than half (52,1%) of men are overweight. Among women, the rate is 44,3%. In 2006, the rates were 47,2% and 38,5%, respectively.

According to the coordinator of Surveillance of Non-Communicable Diseases, Deborah Malta, the ministry's main concern is that the country has registered an increase of almost 1% in the proportion of overweight people per year, both among men and women. Regarding obesity, the annual increase is 0,5%.

Weight-loss medications and their side effects, reports Yuri Antigo of Brasil 247, may have been the main reason for the sudden death of Ana Paula Braga, daughter of Roberto Carlos, on Saturday the 16th, due to cardiac arrest. At 46 years old, apparently healthy, she had recently experienced what is known as the yo-yo effect – alternating between weight loss and gain. In addition, Ana Paula may have suffered from bulimia, a disease that leads a person to ingest large quantities of food and then resort to compensatory methods, such as vomiting. The subject was rarely discussed within the family. The information comes from columnist Odair Del Pozzo, of the website Vírgula.

The sale of weight-loss drugs has been the subject of heated recent debate within society and the government. The Ministry of Health, through Anvisa – the National Health Surveillance Agency – announced in February of this year its intention to prohibit the sale of weight-loss medications containing the substances amfepramone, feproporex, mazindol, and sibutramine. The latter is a star of the latest generation of medications. The substances identified by Anvisa are capable of affecting the nervous system and can cause side effects such as depression, arrhythmia, hypertension, and stroke. Contrary to the federal agency's assessment, Veja magazine, published by Editora Abril, dedicated a cover story in February to this issue, defending the continued sale of all weight-loss drugs. This opinion coincides with the position of the major pharmaceutical companies, which consider weight-loss drugs or appetite suppressants their biggest blockbusters – the labels that sell the most.

Ana Paula Braga was the biological daughter of Nice, Roberto Carlos' first wife, but the King accepted her as his own. Deeply moved, the singer attended her funeral in São Paulo on Saturday the 16th.

FEWER SMOKERS - The Surveillance of Risk and Protective Factors for Chronic Diseases by Telephone Survey (Vigitel Brasil 2010) indicates that Brazilians are smoking less, but remain sedentary and have unhealthy diets. The study was also released by the Ministry of Health. According to the data, the proportion of smokers in the population fell from 16,2% to 15,1% between 2006 and 2010, with a reduction among men. In the male population, the smoking habit fell from 20,2% to 17,9%, while women registered a stable rate of 12,7%.

The Secretary of Health Surveillance, Jarbas Barbosa, admits that the decline in the prevalence of smokers in the country is "slow." According to him, the biggest concern is the fact that people with lower levels of education (up to eight years) smoke more – 18,6% compared to those with higher levels of education (12 years or more). "A large part of Brazil's success is due to advertising, but we believe we can go further," he said, referring to the mandatory images on cigarette packs that warn of the problems associated with tobacco. Regarding the eating habits of Brazilians, the research shows that the population is consuming less beans (an important source of iron and fiber) and more whole milk, as well as meat with visible fat. The percentage of adults who consume beans at least five days a week, for example, dropped from 71,9% in 2006 to 66,7% in 2010.

Another factor considered worrying by the ministry concerns the consumption of the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables – five servings a day, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). These foods, in these proportions, are consumed by only 18,2% of the population.

The Vigitel Brasil 2010 survey also reveals that 14,2% of adults in the country are sedentary and therefore do not practice any type of physical activity during their free time, while commuting to work, or during activities such as cleaning the house. Only 14,9% of respondents declared themselves to be active in their free time.

The data also indicate that 30,2% of men and 26,5% of women watch television more than three times a day.

This is the fifth edition of the survey, conducted since 2006 through telephone interviews with adults (over 18 years of age). In 2010, 54.339 people were interviewed – approximately 2 for each Brazilian capital city.