Press Review of the week

February 14th 2011

While everyone here is imaginative to celebrate Saint Valentine Day, in Saudia Arabia because of restrictions lovers try to find a way how to celebrate this love day: we can read on Arab News the Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (Haia) is tracking down all kind of heart, suspicious red or  pink colours in the shops… Without roses, lovers flee into food, one more time!

The Huffington Post reminded us yesterday the bad eating habits of Americans and the correlation between socio-economical standards,  junk food and co-moborbidity with obesity, of course, but also stroke, diabetes and dementia. And on ArabianBusiness.com, 2 articles (January) also reminded the growing utmost importance of the diabetic populations: paradoxically, while 70% of the population of the UAE is overweight or obese, a 75% thought he had a normal weight or near normal; 14% of health expenditures are spent for the 26.6 million diabetics in the country, but forecasts predict an increase to 51.7 million diabetics by 2030.

There’s been underinvestment over the last two decades, and that’s changing, which is a good thing, we’re seeing tremendous amount of reinvestment happening now in the industry, which is going to have a positive outcome for people, Peter DeBenedictis, a spokesperson for Philips Healthcare

Obesity is an epidemic of concern in the Arab world : The Saudi Gazette reports that the Saudi Minister of Health has announced the launch of a project to link by a computer network the 35 public hospitals in order tobetter track and prevent chronic diseases like diabetes. But eating habits are the hardest to change…

Finally, to celebrate your love, it is better to offer somebody a rose than a meal out!

A bonus (out of our health field), a video of the saudi designer involved in Women Rights, Areej Khan.