around 1,300 policemen will be given diet advice

Drastic action is being taken in Mexico City after a report showed that 70 percent of the police force were classified as obese. The shocking statistics have proved to be embarrassing especially as it was not just that they are overweight, but actually obese meaning that they have a BMI of 30 plus.

Obese individuals cannot run fast, tend to have high blood pressure and are generally pretty useless when it comes to active law enforcement and thus overall this obesity must be affecting the Mexico City police department’s efficiency considerably. In all it is estimated that around 1,300 policemen will be given diet advice and warned not to snack everyday on the huge Mexican tortas that can be found on street corners.

In some police forces around the world regular weighing is part of a yearly assessment program for policemen and women and maybe the Mexican government should introduce it in their own country. Mexico City which is one of the largest cities in the world and which has a chronic drug problem needs an efficient police force if it is to function properly.

The Mexican people in general are known to be the second most obese group of individuals in the world after the Americans. The chronic rise in obesity in Mexico has partly been fueled by the arrival of fast food restaurants from America which have led to the traditional Mexican diet being pushed out of the way for unhealthy burgers and chips.

Traditional Mexican food consists of a lot of colourful vegetables, beans and rice which has served its people well for hundreds of years and it is a great shame that this centuries old diet is being forgotten by young people. Health care costs related to obesity have risen sharply in Mexico over the last decade.