الوضع الليلي
0
Scientists Confirm the World Now Has Over 1 Billion Obese People
10:28:5 2024-03-02 1601

More than one billion people around the world are now suffering from obesity with the number having more than quadrupled since 1990, according to a study released by the Lancet medical journal.

The "epidemic" is particularly hitting poorer countries and the rate is growing among children and adolescents faster than adults, according to the study carried out with the World Health Organization.

The study, released ahead of World Obesity Day on March 4, estimated that there were about 226 million obese adults, adolescents and children in the world in 1990. The figure had risen to 1,038 million in 2022.

Francesco Branca, director of nutrition for health at the WHO, said the rise past one billion people has come "much earlier than we have anticipated".

While doctors knew obesity numbers were rising fast, the symbolic figure had previously been expected in 2030.

Researchers analyzed the weight and height measurements of more than 220 million people in more than 190 countries to reach the estimates, Lancet said.

They estimated that 504 million adult women and 374 million men were obese in 2022. The study said the obesity rate had nearly tripled for men (14 percent) since 1990 and more than doubled for women (18.5 percent).

Some 159 million children and adolescents were living with obesity in 2022, according to the study, up from about 31 million in 1990.

The chronic and complex illness is accompanied by a greater risk of death from heart disease, diabetes and certain cancers. Being overweight increased the risk of death during the corona virus pandemic.

Countries in Polynesia and Micronesia, the Caribbean, the Middle East and North Africa have suffered more from the rise.

"These countries now have higher obesity rates than many high-income industrialised countries, especially those in Europe," the study said.

"In the past we have tended to think of obesity as a problem of the rich, now a problem of the world," said Branca, who highlighted the fast lifestyle changes in low and middle-income countries.

Eating badly helps obesity

The "very rapid transformation of the food systems is not for the better".

Majid Ezzati of Imperial College London, the study's lead author, said there were signs that obesity was levelling out in some southern European countries such as France and Spain, "especially for women".

But he said that in most countries there are more people suffering from obesity than being under-weight, which the study said had fallen since 1990.

While not eating enough is the main cause of being under-weight,eating badly is a prime factor for obesity.

"This new study highlights the importance of preventing and managing obesity from early life to adulthood, through diet, physical activity, and adequate care, as needed," said WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

He added that "getting back on track" to meet global targets for cutting obesity rates "requires the cooperation of the private sector, which must be accountable for the health impacts of their products".

The WHO has supported taxes on sugary drinks, limiting the marketing of unhealthy foods to children and increasing subsidies for healthy foods.

Experts say that new treatments against diabetes can also help combat obesity.

Branca said the new drugs "are an important tool but not a solution of the problem".

"Obesity is a long-term issue and it is important to look at the impact of these drugs on long-term effects or side effects," he added.

Foresight   2026-03-24
Reality Of Islam

MOST VIEWS

Importance of Media

9:3:43   2018-11-05

Illuminations

loneliness

9:39:36   2022-12-28

use you time well

4:26:43   2022-02-21

logic

12:47:1   2022-12-20

noah & his ark

7:59:14   2018-06-21

belief cause cleanliness

10:47:11   2022-11-22

education importance

7:26:19   2022-04-08



IMmORTAL Words
LATEST New Study: Intermittent Fasting Lowers Blood Sugar in Type 1 Diabetes Nanoscale Defects Unlock a Major Heat Transfer Breakthrough A Relentless Storm Pattern Is Making Arctic Sea Ice Disappear Faster Adults Taking More Vitamin D Scored 13% Higher on a Cognitive Test This Grain-of-Rice-Sized Chip Could Transform 6G Communications Hurricane Forecast Maps Are Getting Better – but One Big Problem Remains The Marriage to Fatima (a) Glimpses of the Sacrifices that Abu Talib made Keep Stress Out of Your Life Just 4 Minutes of Daily Strength Training Can Quadruple Fitness in Older Adults Quantum Computer Solves a Problem in 15 Minutes That Classical Methods Can Not Practically Compute A Manhattan-Sized Ice Island Just Broke Off Greenland