Their report, published in the journal BMC Public Health, calculated the weight of the global population at 287Mt. About 15Mt of that mass was accounted for overweight people, said the researchers. 3.5Mt was due to obesity.
North Americans
The research estimated that North Americans had the highest average weight.
Although Asia made up 61% of the global population, it accounted for only 13% of the globe’s weight due to obesity.
But Professor Ian Roberts, one of the reports authors, told BBC News: “One of the problems with definitions of obesity is that it fosters a them-and-us ideal. Actually we are all getting fatter.”