Health officials are to advise beer-loving Czechs – who have a reputation as being partial to meat and averse to vegetables – to adopt a better diet, warning that one in four adults are obese.
The National Institute of Public Health will update its dietary recommendations for the first time in nearly 20 years, highlighting the dangers of alcohol and processed food, public broadcaster Radio Prague International reported.
The new guidelines, which are expected to be published by 2027, aim to combat obesity and chronic diseases, offering the newest, scientifically-backed advice for healthier eating.
According to the director of the public health institute, Barbora Macková, the current recommendations do not sufficiently warn that even low doses of alcohol can lead to a higher risk of cancer.
She added that the existing advice focuses on Body Mass Index (BMI), while it should also consider people’s percentage of body fat.
“Current recommendations from other countries also place much greater emphasis on the consumption of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and limiting the consumption of free sugar,” Macková said in a statement issued on Wednesday.
The planned change is part of the Czech National Cardiovascular Plan for 2025–2035, which aims to reduce heart and circulatory diseases.
The first draft of the guidelines will be finished by the end of this year.
Obesity has become a major health concern in the Czech Republic, with 26 percent of adults affected, the World Health Organization reported last year.
