Obesity epidemic is ‘worse than previously thought’

By Nicholas Robinson

- Last updated on GMT

Related tags Nutrition Obesity

More than a quarter of UK adults are obese
More than a quarter of UK adults are obese
Global obesity levels are soaring, while other major health risks such as smoking and childhood malnutrition are declining, a new medical study reports.

Figures from the The Lancet’s ​Global Burden of Disease Study 2013 showed 2.1bn people were now overweight – more than a quarter of the world’s population.

This compares with World Health Organisation figures from 2008, which showed 1.4bn adults were overweight or obese.

The findings are much worse than previously thought, said the authors of the report, published today (May 29).

More than a quarter of UK adults obese

More than a quarter of adults in the UK are obese and half of the world’s obese people live in just 10 countries, according to the study. Around 13% of obese people live in the US with 15% in China and India combined, the report said.

The UK had the third highest rates of obesity in Western Europe, with 67% of men and 57% of women either overweight or obese, said the report.

Health issues associated with people being overweight and obesity were estimated to have caused 3.4M deaths globally in 2010. This has resulted in widespread calls for regular monitoring of changes in prevalence of overweight and obese people in all populations.

“The technological revolution in food science and the sale of junk food, modern lifestyles and increasing disposable income play a part in this problem,” ​said Klim McPherson, a GP and spokeswoman for The Lancet​. “Policy needs to solve the problem of rising obesity.

‘Solution mainly political’

“The solution has to be mainly political and the questions remain: where is the international will to act decisively in a way that might restrict economic growth in a competitive world, for the public health?” ​McPherson added.

She lambasted politicians for their lack of effort to reduce global obesity and said they could “no longer hide behind their ignorance or confusion” ​following the figures published today.

The study covered 188 nations from 1980 to 2013, including the Middle East, North Africa, Central America and the Pacific and Caribbean islands, which all had high obesity rates.

Global obesity levels rose from 857M in 1980 to 2.1bn in 2013, a rise of 28% in adults and a staggering 47% in children, the study reported.

Obesity was also no longer a disease of the rich, but was an issue for people of all ages, incomes and regions, the results showed. Two thirds of obese people were now found in developing countries.

Top 10 obese countries:

  1. US
  2. China
  3. India
  4. Russia
  5. Brazil
  6. Mexico
  7. Egypt
  8. Germany
  9. Pakistan
  10. Indonesia  

Meanwhile, the Food Manufacture Group is holding a free one-hour webinar on the topic of obesity, which will be broadcast at 11am GMT on Tuesday July 3.

Reserve your free place here​.

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