FRANCE has only a few plump heroes, real or imagined. There was King Louis the Fat, who ruled from 1108 to 1137, pacified unruly barons, centralised power and won several wars. Gargantua, a giant created by François Rabelais, drank the milk of 17,913 cows each day. Gérard Depardieu (pictured), France’s best-known modern actor, is hefty enough to play Obelix, France’s best-known overweight cartoon Gaulish warrior, on the screen.
In general, however, the French see themselves as gourmets, not gourmands. And indeed they are thinner than people in most other rich countries: only 15.3% of them are obese, compared with an OECD average of 19.5%. Worryingly, though, this has risen from less than 6% in 1990, while the share of adults who are overweight has risen from 30% to over 46%. Growing appetites for processed food and more sedentary lives are leading to bigger waistlines.
For policymakers, this is a problem. Obesity leads to...Continue reading
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