New data from The Lancet shows that the number of hungry people around the world is decreasing. But it also shows an explosion in another type of malnutrition: obesity.
Global obesity rates have quadrupled in children and doubled in adults since 1990, according to a new analysis published in the medical journal The Lancet on March 1, 2024.
Approximately 1 billion people worldwide (1 in 8 of the world's population) are obese. Their body mass index (BMI) is 30 or higher.
The World Health Organization describes BMI as “a simple measure of weight relative to height, commonly used to classify overweight and obesity in adults.”
It is calculated by dividing a person's weight in kilograms by their height in meters squared (kg/m2).
Francesco Branca, director of WHO's nutrition and food safety department, said the agency had previously estimated that global obesity rates would reach 1 billion by 2030. However, that indicator was reached eight years early in 2022.
Speaking at a press conference about the new Lancet study, its co-author Majid Ezzati, professor of public health at Imperial College London, said he was “surprised” by the rapid evolution in obesity rates.
But this increase in obesity isn't happening in the places you'd expect: wealthy countries.
New data shows that obesity rates are generally starting to plateau in many wealthy countries, while in low- and middle-income countries such as Egypt, Iraq, Libya, South Africa and Chile, obesity rates are rapidly increasing among both adults and children. It shows that it is increasing. Syria, Türkiye and Mexico are not far behind.
“With the exception of the United States, no traditionally developed or wealthy countries are in the top group.” [of the most obese nations]. It is almost exclusively covered by low- and middle-income countries,” Ezzati said.
The number of people suffering from hunger is decreasing
New data shows some progress has been made in reducing the number of people suffering from hunger around the world.
Over the past 30 years, the proportion of underweight adults worldwide has halved. It fell by one-fifth for girls under 18 and by one-third for boys.
However, research shows that the situation is not improving in some countries.
For example, in countries such as Ethiopia and Uganda, the proportion of adults who are underweight has changed little.
Other countries, such as India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, have seen sharp declines in the proportion of adults who are underweight.
But Pakistan appears to have replaced one form of malnutrition with another.
Since 1990, the proportion of adults who are underweight has decreased from 27% to 7%, but the proportion of obese adults has increased from 3% to 24% over the same period. This is a higher obesity rate than most countries within the European Union.
Similar exchanges are occurring in some countries in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly among women. While the number of underweight people is decreasing, the number of obese people is increasing.
Why are obesity rates rising in low- and middle-income countries?
Branca said there are several reasons why obesity is increasing so rapidly in low- and middle-income countries compared to wealthier countries. There are changes in food production, then there is 'double burden biology' and finally there is scarcity. of public health policy.
The effects of each of these are discussed below.
First, the past three decades have seen rapid industrialization in countries such as Egypt and Mexico. According to Branca, they have transformed the food system, especially in urban areas.
“Processed food and beverage sales, or the number of supermarkets and retail stores, are where we're seeing the biggest increases,” Branca said. ”[It’s a] The food system is changing very rapidly, and not for the better. ”
Second, double-burden biology refers to people who had a low birth weight or didn't get enough food as children, Branca said. As adults, we are often prone to being overweight or obese. This may help explain the changes seen in sub-Saharan Africa.
And third, there is a lack of government policy and, as a result, a lack of action by health authorities to improve people's access to healthy food options.
Unlike rich countries, many low- and middle-income countries have few policies to curb the “huge” pressures created by marketing to push foods high in fat, sugar and salt, Branca said. Or it has not been introduced at all.
“The important story here is that in the past we [thought] “Obesity is a problem of the wealthy,” Branca said, but obesity is a worldwide problem.
