I refer to the article in another local paper under the heading “Maltese teens fattest in Europe”.

 In Europe, an estimated 59 per cent of adults are overweight or obese; 36.6 per cent are overweight and 22 per cent are obese

It is estimated that in Europe, 14 million children aged between five and seven are overweight and three million are obese

Malta is reported to have one of the highest incidences of overweight adults in Europe. This problem also exists among children. The World Health Organisation classified teenage boys in Malta as the fattest in Europe, with girls not far behind

The reason that so many people are overweight is simple: they are eating far too much and exercising far too little.

The cost of dealing with obese people is big. In fact, it is estimated that it takes between two and five per cent of the total health budget

The solution for all those people worried about their bulges would be to say no, but of course that is far easier said than done

There are individuals who, no matter how much they try, find it difficult to persevere as they expect results in a short time. It is cruel to make fun of or pass judgement on someone’s appearance when s/he can do little about it.

It is good to point out some alarmingly obvious facts that are ignored by the mealy-mouthed and those whose mouths are either full of junk food or just talking junk.

The fact is that I cannot bear to see so many massive bottoms wobbling down Republic Street in Valletta as portrayed many a time on TV. It is not that I want to mock my fatter fellow citizens but that they face increased risks of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, such ischemic stroke, higher risk of developing cancer, gallstones, back problems, arthritis. I am merely pointing out serious medical problems.

These afflictions cost the health authorities thousands running into millions of euros.

I have often heard people claim that their bulging paunch or tree trunk thighs are the result of a heavy bone structure or slow metabolism. “It’s in the family”. So how come the proportion of obese Maltese has increased so rapidly when it takes centuries for our genes to change?

Scientific studies show that in the vast majority of cases, how fat we are is a direct consequence of how many calories we take in.

This is a wholly new problem in the history of the world. We have beaten one of the most enduring challenges to human life – starvation – Our triumph over starvation has become a threat to our health.

So why do so many of us eat so much?

Firstly, it must be said in our defence that there is a lot more temptation than ever before. Modern technology has been stunningly successful in creating diversity and abundance.

In primordial times, people used to exercise a lot, including escaping the jaws of sabre-toothed tigers or some other mammoths. In contrast, today, the nearest we may get to sweating is when we fear we will not manage to get home in time to watch our favourite football game or our favourite programme on TV. .

Naturally, industry exploits our instinctive tendency to overeat fats and sugars by presenting them as “healthy” or “nourishing”. Having overeaten, we then resent our shapeless bodies and then we are offered diet products to buy.

The answer lies in the mind. More people are dissatisfied and unhappy, with far higher numbers suffering from depression and compulsions, including eating disorders.

Unhappy people are desperate for a quick fix – same as drug addicts – to make them less miserable. Sugary foods, like chocolate, act like a drug that temporarily raises spirits.

Our aspirations many a time outstrip what is possible for society to deliver, with women being especially vulnerable. They are encouraged to reach for the sky at work and in the political field when they have a family to look after. When neither can match up to these unrealistic expectations, they feel disappointed and many blame themselves.

These problems exist for the most successful as well. No sooner do we achieve a goal that we move the goalposts to create a new, more difficult one, leaving ourselves permanently dissatisfied, always yearning for that which we do not have.

The moral is clear: unless you scale down your ambitions to something more realistic you will continue to use food (or transfer to another addiction such as drugs, alcohol, gambling or sex) to sweeten the pill of disappointment and your body will continue to expand.

What also contributes to this are the lifestyles we are living that consign so many of us to misery and depression, temporarily banished by a fix of food.