Turks spend ‘$5 billion’ on weight-loss, analyst says

ANKARA - Anadolu Agency

Turkish people are spending $5 billion a year on weight-loss programs, as the country experiences a sharp rise in obesity.

Tayfun Sungun, the head of a leading Turkish weight-loss Internet platform, said the figure was made up of people spending money on diet foods and sports.

Turkey’s increase in obesity is in line with World Health Organization figures that show that obesity worldwide has nearly doubled since 1980.

According to a Diabetes, Hypertension, Obesity and Endocrinologic Diseases report, obesity in Turkey rose by 34 percent in women and a huge 107 percent in men between 1998 and 2010.

Referring to the report, Sungun said around 20 million people in the country were obese.

He also claimed that, when correlated, there are almost 100,000 patients for each dietician,meaning that the forthcoming years may see a considerable growth in the sector.

“This figure is around 15 to 20 patients for each dietician in developed countries. In this sense there is a great need for dieticians,” Sungun claims.

Turkey has seen a rise in awareness in obesity with recently established online initiatives bringing together patients and dieticians. Some sites have even set up services in which special meals developed by dieticians are delivered to customers’ doors.