People in Spain will gain around five kilos during the coronavirus crisis according to experts

PEOPLE in Spain will gain between three and five kilos during the lockdown experts have said.

According to a study conducted by El Pais, the Spanish population will gain a significant amount of weight during the state of emergency.

This is due to the consumption of unhealthy foods, the lack of exercise, the vast amount of hours sitting in front of a screen, all done in order to cope with factors such as stress or boredom.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fishing and Food, the purchase of chocolate has increased up to 60% in the third week of confinement. 

Snacks and nuts, meanwhile, have also increased by 61%, while flour has risen by a staggering 196%.

Alcohol in general has seen a spike of 57%, with beer and spirits in particular, being around 42%.

Albert Goday, Head of the Endocrinology and Nutrition service at Hospital del Mar in Barcelona said: “The expectation is that it will increase between three and five kilos.”

According to the Spanish Obesity Society (Seedo), children can gain up to 5% of their bodyweight.

Francisco Tinahones, President of the Seedo said: “It is quite predictable that there will be an increase in weight. 

“In a month of confinement, in which you increase your consumption by 200 calories, which is nothing, it is already one extra kilo.”

Goday is the principal investigator of a scientific review that concludes that by 2030, 80% of men and 55% of women will be overweight or obese.
Currently in Spain, 17% of adults and 10% of children suffer from obesity.