Obesity rates tripled in developing countries – survey

Obesity in developed countries has tripled since 1980, according to this survey by the British group, the Overseas Development Institute. Here's the news article: Obesity rates tripled in developing countries – survey Here's the survey (it's 133 pages) - ODI obesity study (pdf)

A quote from the news article:

The number of obese people in the developing world has reached over 900 million, superseding rates in the developed world, a study has revealed. As a result of the rise in obesity, the report predicts a “huge increase” in heart attacks and diabetes.

The study carried out by the UK-based think-tank Overseas Development Institute (ODI) reveals the rate of obesity in developing countries is almost double that in developed countries.

In 2008, over 900 million people in poorer countries were classified as being overweight, in comparison with 550 million in higher income countries. This figure has more than tripled since 1980 in underdeveloped countries, while in wealthier nations the rate has grown by 1.7 times, the report says.

“The growing rates of overweight and obesity in developing countries are alarming," said the report's author, ODI Research Fellow Steve Wiggins. "On current trends, globally, we will see a huge increase in the number of people suffering certain types of cancer, diabetes, strokes and heart attacks, putting an enormous burden on public healthcare systems.”

The study calculates that over one-third of the world’s adult population – around 1.45 billion people – are obese or overweight and lays the blame at the feet of governments for not taking the necessary measures to combat the issue.

Is this the fault of the governments? If not, who is to blame? Is it the manufacturers of the food? Is it the educational system? Or is it just up to each individual on the planet to exercise self-control and discipline?

Why are developing countries becoming obese? Maybe because of the economic growth, the first thing they do with their new found income is eat a lot, because food was once scarce for them. I haven't read the whole 133 pages of the study, but it raises the question - who is responsible for obesity?

I wonder if the developing countries are the ones that we have democracied the hell out of?

reply to post by TwoTonTommy


This is an alarming study, of course.

I doubt there is so much to do with self-discipline, but the general education levels as well as poorer quality foods. Low education levels tend to lead to worse decisions, as well as being more easily manipulated by the media. A good marketing strategy on cheaper, but poor-quality foods works like magic on such target groups.

People start to eat foods they are not genetically accustomed to when they gain wealth. This causes a need for chemistry that is off balance from improper digestion to get stored. Fat is not only lipids, a fat cell can hold a lot of other chemicals. People don't realize that all fat is not alike. If we constantly eat sugars and carbs, the fat cells will not be utilized and it will cause more cells to be created. A healthy person gains weight when they eat good foods in abundance, it only becomes a problem when they do not use up the fat because they are constantly eating carbs. A person who cannot make fat has a problem, they have little reserves. If a time comes where they need to fast, they could get severely weakened. Those who eat all the crap and chemicals nowadays also have a problem, the fat cells contents may be too toxic if the liver and kidney function have been dampened.

Obesity is a very complex issue. One could tease out countless factors pointing to equally valid "causes" of obesity. Ultimately, and perhaps because of this complexity, it comes down to personal responsibility.

You've got to work with the genetic and environmental hand you've been dealt, get informed, and try to keep your body as healthy as possible. Or don't. It's your choice.

how weird :-)))))))))))))))))))
since the anty smokers have won the battle obesitas explodes....there must be grafics that shows that the rating of obestas goed up with the amount non smokers....only that kind of grafics are censurated...:-( couse politic mood
the new age slavery is food instead of cigarettes..
moore profit for wallmarks fastfood providers / hospitals and schrinks ....economical an win win situation
ofcourse everybody who is to fat will assure you that the air the breath is the couse of it....

bet soon there will be an new form of funeral stand up... recycling of dead peopple..couse of ground-pollution of all that fat....
imagine how much bio diesel can be extracted :-)

There are some cultures where obesity is a sign of prosperity. Generally speaking, it may partially be a sign that in developing countries people now have enough ready access to food that they are not starving and their appetites and eating habits may not have changed to reflect that. If your culture was recently one where you were accustomed to times of starvation, you will tend to eat as much as you can in times of plenty.

This is somewhat similar to the burgeoning populations seen in developing countries where they still have the same numbers of children as they did when they didn't have the access to care to keep them alive and needed to have many children to ensure that some survived.

I don't know. It's just one thought.

reply to post by TwoTonTommy


I think you can probably contribute the Obesity problem with technology. It has made us less active. My son growing up would play more video games instead of going outside and picking up a game of basketball or baseball at the nearby park. He was a homebody. He was 20 lbs over weight during his high school years.

Now he's more health conscious, exercises and lifts weights on almost a daily basis. He hasn't altered his eating habits so really he's just burning off the excess calories because he's being more active. He's now in his normal weight range and is healthier now than when he was in high school.

If you're in the same generation as me, growing up in the late 60's & 70's, we didn't have video games, computers, IPAD's, lap tops or cell phones, so we were used to spending a lot of time outside being active, walking to friends houses and playing sports. I remember playing baseball in the youth league and most kids would ride their bikes to the game. The outside fence would be littered with bicycles. Most kids walked to school and didn't rely on their parents to drop them off at the front door of the school.

(I remember dropping my son off at school in the morning and there were a line of cars ahead of us with parents dropping their kids off at the front of the school). I told my son, get out here, and he replied " no wait till we get to the front of the school." I thought to myself, are you kidding me? I used to walk 15 blocks to school everyday, and he can't walk 6 car lengths to the front of the school? Times sure have changed.

There were very few overweight kids in schools back then. I remember never being on a diet during my high school years, and never had to worry about a weight problem. I saw food and I just ate it!

reply to post by TwoTonTommy


imho - Obesity is just a symptom along with cancer, diabetes, strokes and heart attacks - NOT the cause. And the main cause is not only "non-nutritious food products" - it's contaminants in air, water, meds, and more.

Here's what I see.

People in higher socioeconomic areas are more fit, period.

You go to an upper middle class area and take note of all the people who are a healthy weight.

Go out, now, to a poor area, and what do you see? Obese people everywhere.

Why such a discrepancy?

I'm not even going to expand on this, suffice it to say, there's likely many reasons you can gleam from this alone.

It's always been relatively easy for me to control my weight, though I likely lucked out genetically.

- no processed foods
- no sodas
- regular exercise
- fast periodically
- try to sweat profusely every day

I think simple lifestyle changes will work for most people to prevent obesity. Some people, no matter how much efforts they put in, may be destined to become obese.

So it's not best to judge the individual, though when we're talking huge numbers, yes, I would judge a country that triples their obesity rates.

soficrow
reply to post by TwoTonTommy

 

imho - Obesity is just a symptom along with cancer, diabetes, strokes and heart attacks - NOT the cause. And the main cause is not only "non-nutritious food products" - it's contaminants in air, water, meds, and more.

I'm with you , it is many layered.