67% of diseases due to junk food

Statistics have revealed that 67 percent of chronic diseases in Morocco are due to unhealthy nutrition, lack of exercise and smoking. A group of physicians and beauty experts have said that the principle"Prevention is better than cure" is still vital to health and beauty. Professor and specialist in preventative medicine Jaafar said 80% of Moroccans do not exercise regularly and a third suffer from excess weight. Whilst 40% of Moroccans don't consume adequate amounts of vegetables and fruits and obesity is between 13.5 to 30%. He said most diseases remain undetected until it is too late, and stressed the importance of early identification. Jaafar said his new clinic is specialized in providing health facilities such as sports and a fully equipped kitchen to learn how to prepare healthy food. The clinic also provides tests and medical massages by Moroccan experts. Professor Jaafar said 32% of Moroccans under the age of 25 have high blood pressure and 99% of them past the age of 25 have high cholesterol levels. "The youth need to change the way they think and the way the live," he said. He said in order to assess a patient and change their lifestyle, they need to first go through psychological and physical tests. He recommended that people should exercise at least three times a week for an average of three hours.