By Shereen Jegtvig NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – People who eat a vegetarian diet tend to have lower blood pressure than non-vegetarians, according to a new review of past studies. Researchers said for some people, eating a vegetarian diet could be a good way to treat high blood pressure without medication. Vegetarian diets exclude meat, but may include dairy products, eggs and fish in some cases. High blood pressure contributes to a person’s risk of heart disease, stroke, kidney disorders and other health problems.

In a report on obesity levels in the 53 countries of the WHO’s European Region, the United Nations health agency said up to 27 percent of 13-year-olds and 33 percent of 11-year-olds are overweight. We must not let another generation grow up with obesity as the new norm,” said Zsuzsanna Jakab, the WHO’s regional director. Among adults, rates of women who don’t engage in enough physical activity range from 16 percent in Greece and 17 percent in Estonia to 71 percent in Malta and 76 percent in Serbia. Joao Breda, a WHO expert on nutrition, physical activity and obesity, said peoples’ living environments – including the layout of town, cities, schools and workplaces – are crucial to increasing rates of exercise.