Warning || For the first time ever in the history of mankind, the current generation of children could actually live shorter lives than their parents, warns the Portuguese Society of Cardiology (SPC).
The wake-up call came on the day the society celebrated its 65th anniversary, with a reminder of the several risk factors that “take away years of life from the Portuguese” – mainly sedentary lifestyles and unhealthy eating habits.
Although the SPC acknowledges that more and more people exercise nowadays, it stresses that the number of those who don’t is still higher than those who do.
“We have also stopped following the Mediterranean Diet, one of our greatest assets,” the SPC warned, urging people to counteract this tendency or face “seriously compromising their future”.
To avoid this “unhealthy” tendency, the SPC recommends preventive actions amongst youngsters, like banning snack and beverage vending machines from schools and implementing nutritionally-balanced menus at canteens.
According to the society, today’s data on health in Portugal is “alarming but enlightening” at the same time.
Nearly half of the Portuguese population is overweight or suffers from high blood pressure. Portugal is also the European country with the highest obesity growth rate while a third of the population has high cholesterol levels.
