Obesity（肥胖）：the scourge（祸害）of the western world Obesity is rapidly becoming a new scourge of the western world，delegates agreed at tile 11th European Conference on the issue in Vienna Wednesday to Saturday．According to statements I before the opening of the conference-of 2，000 specialists from more than 50 countries-1.2 billion people worldwide are overweight，and 250 million are 0bese． Professor Bernhard Ludvik of Vienna General hospital said：“Obesity is a chronic illness．In Germany，20 per cent of the people are already affected，but in Japan 0nly one per cent．”But he said that there was hope for sufferers thanks to the new scienti6c discoveries and medication． Professor Friedrich Hopichler of Salzberg said：“We are living in the new age（but）with the me-tabolism of a stone--age man．”“I have just been to the United States． It is really terrible． A pizza shop is springing up on every corner． We have been overrun by fast flood and Coca-Cola-ization．” Many of the experts stressed that obesity was a potential killer． Hopichler said：“Eighty percent of all diabetics are obese，also fifty per cent of a11 patients with high b100d pressure and fifty per cent with adipose tissue complaints．”“Ten per cent more weight means thir per cent more risk of heart disease． Reducing one’s weight by ten per cent leads to thir per cent lower blood pressure．” Another expert Hermann Toplak said that the state health services should improve their financing of prive programs． “Though the health insurance pays for surgery（such as reducing the size of the stomach）when the body—mass index is more than 40．That is equivalent to a weight of 116 kilo一grams for a height of 1.70 meters． One should start earlier．' Ludvik said that prion should begin in school． “Child obesity（fat deposits）correlates with the time which children spend in front of TV sets．” The consequences were oly apparent later on． No more than fif per cent of obese people lived to the average life expectancy。 for their population group． 第 31 题 It is estimated that there are_____ people suffering from obesity in the world．