As Egypt has made considerable progress over the past thirty years in reducing infectious, maternal and child diseases, three-quarters of Egypt’s total disease burden (death, disability) is now due to chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. Egypt is among the countries with the highest rates of obesity in the world, together with Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United States. Two-thirds of Egyptians are overweight or obese, a symptom often associated with diabetes.