More Weighty Hong Kong Statistics

There's a lot more overweight people in Hong Kong than 10 years ago

Here's a shocking statistic -- half of Hongkongers aged 15 and above are overweight or obese, while the number of people who drink alcohol has doubled over the past decade, according to a citywide health survey by the government.

The study of more than 12,000 people from December 2014 to August 2016 showed a horrific picture of people's dietary habits.

More than 86 percent consumed too much salt, nearly 50 percent had high cholesterol, and almost 60 percent suffered from one or more conditions of hypertension, diabetes and high cholesterol.

Many turn to comfort foods when they are stressed or busy

The number of overweight people rose from 17.8 percent to 20.1 percent, while those who are obese increased from 21 percent to 29.9 percent of the population.

From the statistics, the survey predicted a 10.6 percent risk of cardiovascular problems, including coronary heart disease, stroke, peripheral artery disease and heart failure among those aged 30 to 74 over the next 10 years.

Director of health Constance Chan Hon-yee said that alcohol consumption was a worrying trend. Ten years ago, 61.6 percent of those surveyed claimed to hardly touch alcohol, but this time 61.4 percent said they were drinkers. Many confessed to binge drinking -- from 2.2 percent a decade ago to 9.6 percent in this latest study.

"The affordability of alcohol has a direct impact on people's drinking habits," said Chan, though strangely she did not want to link the increased drinking to the scrapping of wine duties in 2008. Wine and spirits with an alcoholic strength of no more than 30 percent by volume are tax-free in Hong Kong.

The increased alcohol consumption is combined with eating too much salt and 94.4 percent not eating enough fruits and vegetables. It sounds like a giant ticking time bomb.

Increased alcohol consumption is also causing health issues

It seems strange to me that this is happening as I notice more people becoming more health-conscious and some trying to eat less meat in general and exercise a bit more. Or are these people only a tiny sliver of the population?

However, there are those who find their jobs stressful and food is a way for them to comfort themselves after a long day at the office. This is where they make bad dietary choices and feel they deserve to eat what they want. A lot of people don't cook at home, and would rather either eat out or have it delivered.

Hong Kong is a free port and a relatively capitalist society that doesn't want to nag people into telling them what they can and cannot eat. But the government needs to face the reality it has a fast-growing elderly population and encouraging them to be as healthy as possible is the best way to try to prevent medical bills from going through the roof.

While Chan wants to step up monitoring people's health every two years, that doesn't do any good if the government doesn't do anything to really push its residents to become more healthy.

Fact of the Day: Instant Noodle Numbers

China is a big consumer of instant noodles, but not as much as before

When I lived in Beijing 10 years ago, my colleagues would eat fangbian mian (方便麵) or "instant noodles". It was what people loaded up on in supermarkets, buying a dozen at a time -- the same flavour too.

I wondered if they knew these noodles didn't have much nutritional value being deep-fried, but they just thought it was convenient to cook in minutes.

However it seems the Chinese are eating less instant noodles than even three years ago, even though China is still the biggest consumer of the popular food product, according to a 2016 estimate by the World Instant Noodles Association.

Less people eat instant noodles due to healthier food choices

lobally a total of 97.5 billion servings of instant noodles were eaten, with China accounting for nearly 40 percent, while Indonesia was a distant second at 13 billion servings.

However in the past few years, China's consumption of instant noodles has actually dropped by 20 percent. In 2013 the country ate 46.2 billion servings, and 2016 marked the fourth consecutive year of decline, with 38.5 billion servings.

When it comes to per capita consumption, South Korea is number one with 76.1 servings per year for 2016, and China was only 27.7 servings.

There are many reasons for the drop in demand for instant noodles. According to the Straits Times, the rise of the Chinese instant noodle market paralleled "an economic boom that was fueled by the migration of low-cost workers from the countryside."

Others still find instant noodles too convenient not to pass up

But now that the economy has been slowing down these few years, the population of migrant workers has dropped off significantly, many returning to their hometowns. Another reason is the rise of the middle class and they are more health-conscious and can afford better quality food.

The third and probably biggest reason is the rise of online food delivery services that make it so much easier (and cheaper) to order food on their phone than to buy groceries and cook at home.

A Very Chunky Monkey

Uncle Fat needs to lose weight, as he weighs three times the average monkey

Meet Uncle Fat.

He's a chunky monkey who was found on the side of the road in Thailand and is morbidly obese.

A video shows him walking on the road and practically dragging his stomach, and when he sits up, well, it's not a pretty sight.

His stomach is so large that it practically drags on the ground

Nicknamed "Uncle Fat" by locals, the monkey had been feasting on junk food and soft drinks that tourists gave him and others on the roadside. Most of the monkeys are macques who usually weigh 9kg, but Uncle Fat is triple that number, tipping the scales at around 26kg.

He was caught by wildlife officials when pictures of him circulated on social media.

"It was not easy to catch him," says Kacha Phukem, the wildlife official who orchestrated Fat Uncle's capture late last month. "He was the leader of the pack and when I tried to go in, I had to fight off a flock of them with sticks."

As the leader who was not only protected, Uncle Fat was also well fed.

"He had minions and other monkeys bringing food for him, but he would also redistribute it to younger monkeys," says Supakarn Kaewchot, a veterinarian in charge of the monkey's diet. "He's now in a critical condition where there is a high-risk of heart disease and diabetes."

Vet Supakarn prepares his meals of fruits and vegetables

Currently he's on a very strict diet that limits him to 400g of lean protein, fruits and vegetables twice a day. Supakam hopes that in a few months he'll be trim enough to be released back into the wild.

"I understand that people feel sorry for the monkeys and want to feed them when they see them," says Supakam. "But please don't feed them food that people like to eat like snacks and soda. It is very bad for their health and the problem is entirely man-made."

Poor Uncle Fat. But we hope he'll get better soon.

Hong Kong's Love of Processed Meat

A typical non-healthy dish in a cha chaan teng always includes panfried spam

There was some surprise today from Hong Kong people reading the news about the World Health Organization saying processed meats are carcinogenic and as dangerous as tobacco and asbestos.

As expected those in the food industry were quick to denounce the findings as "harsh", while others said the study was based on western eating habits, not Asian.

However, look at what a large number of people eat at cha chaan tengs -- panfried spam, sausages, some bacon. Many also eat sandwich meats thinking they're just as good as natural meat. And then there's lap cheong or Chinese sausages...

Some wonder if Chinese sausage is not as healthy as it looks

The study found Hong Kong people eat an average of three-and-half sausages and nearly two slices of ham per week, which is considered to pose a significant cancer risk.

Local demand for processed meats, such as sausages and ham has grown in recent years. Figures show that 23.1 million kg of sausages were imported last year, up 3.9 percent from the previous year, and up 17 percent from the year before that. Some 18 million kg of ham was brought in last year.

That's how WHO came up with an average consumption of 7.9g of sausage, or half a piece, and 6.1g of ham or a quarter slice. This doesn't include other processed meats and red meats

In general Hong Kong people are not knowledgeable about nutrition and think they are eating a balanced diet when they aren't at all. Perusing through supermarkets these days, the vast majority of food for sale are processed one way or another -- in a box.

Many shoppers buy bags and bags of instant noodles, chips, chocolate, and processed meats, and not often fresh meat, vegetables and fruits. I know this because every week when I hit the supermarket, I look at what people are buying and also what's on the shelves and I'm shivering with fear.

Should we be surprised more people in the city are obese, or have high blood pressure or are diabetic?

More markets with fresh vegetables and products are available

The WHO said eating processed meat could lead to bowl cancer, which claims the second most lives in Hong Kong, with lung cancer the number one cancer killer.

Will this report make people change their dietary habits? Probably a small percentage, while the rest will carry on eating processed meats because they don't feel ill from eating them.

But by the same token, vegetarianism or some say "part-time vegetarianism" is starting to gain more interest. There are more vegetarian restaurants in Hong Kong, and more plant-based food products are available.

The government should really be stepping up disseminating important information about what people should be eating. Enough with the "rich man's diet" and eating more vegetables and fruits. At least it would be easier on our wallets too...