Danish women piling on the pounds

Almost every second woman in Denmark considered overweight

Oct 1, 2015

The average Danish woman has put on 1.4 kilos over the past decade, and one in two are considered overweight, according to new figures.

The results, which the national food institute DTU Fødevareinstituttet has analysed for the Environment and Food Ministry, revealed that the share of women in Denmark with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of over 25 has increased from 39 to 44 percent in just a few short years.

“The consequences will be that more people will develop serious illnesses such as Type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and types of cancer related to being overweight,” Jeppe Matthiessen, a senior consultant at DTU, told Søndagsavisen.

Catching up to men
Meanwhile, the percentage of women who are obese (BMI of 30+) has risen from 13 to 15 percent.

The experts blamed fattier diets and less active jobs for the weight gain.

Conversely, weight increase among Danish men has stagnated in recent years. Some 50 percent of Danish men have a BMI of over 25.

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