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Inside the Middle East
October 23, 2012
Posted: 706 GMT

Here's a look at our upcoming show:

The growing epidemic of obesity in the oil-rich Gulf nations is explored in November's 'Inside the Middle East'. Qatar, Bahrain and the UAE may be some of the wealthiest nations in the world, but they have also become some of the most obese.

Host Zain Verjee visits Dubai to discover how increasing numbers of Emiratis are turning to stomach stapling surgery to shed their pounds before travelling to Kuwait, where more than 50 percent of the population are overweight. Verjee talks to the Kuwaiti people and learns how fast food, scorching year-round heat and rapid modernisation have all contributed to making this tiny gulf state the second fattest country on Earth.

Staying in Kuwait, ‘Inside the Middle East’ heads to the Iraq border where a different, but equally massive, problem is being faced by the fragile desert ecosystem. More than two decades after Saddam Hussein’s retreating troops set fire to Kuwait’s oil fields, following the Gulf War, environmentalists are still trying to pick up the pieces.

The programme also meets young Kuwaiti artist Hussain Salameen who is uniquely fusing design and technology to build some of the region’s only chopper motorcycles.

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Filed under: Culture •Health •Kuwait •UAE


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emad Alharoon   November 6th, 2012 4:08 pm ET

Obese and over nourished Kuwaiti citizens are beguiled by “herd mentality or in other words vanity” to undergo gastric sleeve surgery to shed fat and recover good looks is a new trend in Kuwait, despite the risks of potential suffering from physical and psychological complications. Sleeve gastrectomy is a surgical weight-loss procedure in which the stomach is reduced to about 25% of its original size, by surgical removal of a large portion of the stomach, following the major curve. The open edges are then attached together (often with surgical staples) to form a sleeve or tube with a banana shape. The procedure permanently reduces the size of the stomach. The procedure is performed laparoscopically and is not reversible, meaning once you did it, that’s it, I can understand to do it if someone is suffering a debilitating disease such as cancer, to save life but not for aesthetic purposes. A healthy living is a key to good maintenance of our physical appearance.

Lidia   November 8th, 2012 5:16 am ET

Just a suggestion – do your site as Deutsche Welle – DW, so we can watch past episodes in full on our computers, not all the time we can be free to see the programs at the scheduled time...


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