More than 1 billion people worldwide are suffering from obesity – study

The surge of the “obesity epidemic” is notably impacting less affluent nations, and the rate of increase among children and adolescents is surpassing that among adults, a study conducted in collaboration with the World Health Organization showed.

Released in advance of World Obesity Day on March 4, the study approximated that the global count of obese adults, adolescents, and children was around 226 million in 1990. This figure had escalated to 1,038 million by 2022.

The surpassing of the billion occurred much earlier than anticipated

Francesco Branca, the director of nutrition for health at the WHO, remarked that the surpassing of one billion individuals occurred “much earlier than we have anticipated,” despite the awareness among medical professionals that obesity numbers were escalating rapidly. The symbolic threshold was initially projected for 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%) since 1990 and more than doubled for women (18.5%). 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 coronavirus 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 industrialized countries, especially those in Europe.

“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.

The prevalence of obesity surpasses that of underweight individuals

The swift transformation of food systems is not yielding positive outcomes, according to Majid Ezzati, the lead author of the study and affiliated with Imperial College London. Ezzati noted a stabilization of obesity rates in certain southern European countries like France and Spain, particularly among women. However, the study pointed out that, in most nations, the prevalence of obesity surpasses that of underweight individuals, a trend that has declined since 1990.

While insufficient food intake is a primary cause of being underweight, poor dietary habits play a pivotal role in obesity. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus underlined the significance of preventing and managing obesity from early life to adulthood through measures such as proper diet, physical activity, and adequate care.

Ghebreyesus stressed the need for collaboration, asserting that realigning with global targets to reduce obesity rates requires the accountability of the private sector for the health impacts of their products. The WHO has advocated for measures like taxes on sugary drinks, restrictions on marketing unhealthy foods to children, and increased subsidies for healthy foods.