Overweight and obesity in developing countries 'alarming'

Date: Jan-06-2014The 'alarming' rise in overweight and obese adults in developing countries is growing

into a huge public health burden, says one of the authors of a new report from a UK think

tank.

The 130-page report, Future Diets, from the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), which shows a

comprehensive analysis of what the world eats, estimates one in three adults around the world is

now either overweight or obese, and criticizes governments for failing to tackle the crisis.

It describes how in developing countries, the number of overweight and obese adults has risen

from 250 million to nearly a billion in the last 30 years, and numbers are also continuing to rise

in richer nations, growing by around 200 million to nearly 600 million over the same period.

By analyzing existing data, the authors show how since 1980, overweight and obesity rates have

nearly doubled in China and Mexico, and risen by a third in South Africa, which has now overtaken

the UK in the obesity stakes.

And in terms of regions, overweight and obesity rates in North Africa, the Middle East and Latin

America have caught up with Europe.

The implications for public health are huge, as co-author Steve Wiggins, an ODI research

fellow, explains:

"The growing rates of overweight and obesity in developing countries are alarming. 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."

Politicians should be 'less shy' about telling people what they should eat

A new report from the Overseas Development Institute claims that one in three adults worldwide is either overweight or obese, and the report criticizes governments for failing to tackle the obesity crisis.

He and fellow author Sharada Keats, also a research fellow with the ODI, suggest one reason

governments are failing to tackle the world obesity epidemic is because politicians are reluctant

to interfere with people's eating habits.

The powerful influence of farming and food lobbies, coupled with lack of public awareness as to

what makes a healthy diet, are other reasons, they say.

While governments have focused on campaigns to raise public awareness, evidence shows this is

not enough, says the report, which contrasts the "timid" policies attempted so far to change diets,

to the much bolder, and successful, campaigns to limit smoking in developing nations.

The report notes:

"Looking
at the range of policies on offer, it seems that
regulation and taxation are the most effective
policies for diet, but these are precisely the
policies that are least palatable to both the
public and politicians."

Steve Wiggins urges politicians to be "less shy" about trying to influence what people eat,

explaining that:

"The challenge is to make healthy diets viable whilst reducing the appeal of foods which carry a

less certain nutritional value."

Food rationing in World War 2 cited as an effective example

It is possible to effect changes, says the report, citing examples of where governments have

succeeded in changing people's dietary habits:

The UK's introduction of rationing in World War II ensured the poorest people were able to eat

a balanced diet.
South Korea's social marketing and education campaign, including widespread training of women

in how to prepare traditional low fat meals high in vegetables, has resulted in a shift toward

higher public consumption of fruits and vegetables.
Danish laws outlawing trans-fats has made their McDonalds among the healthiest in in the

world.

Rise in sugar and fat consumption

The rise in sugar consumption is one significant change that has taken place in people's diets.

Between 1961 and 2009, sugar and sweetener consumption has risen by over 20%.

Today, the United States, Belgium, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Costa Rica, and Mexico are

among the countries with the highest per capital consumption of sugar in the world.

Another big change in diet that has occurred over a similar timeframe is fat consumption.

In the developing world, the highest per capital fat consumption rates are in East Asia and

Southern Africa, but these are not even half that of industrialized nations.

The report also highlights another worrying sign: even though the quantity of fruits and vegetables

harvested today is double that of earlier decades, and the amount of food that comes from animals

has gone up by 50%, over 850 million people in poorer nations - one in every eight human beings on

the planet - do not have enough food to meet their basic needs.

In February 2013, UK doctors urged the government to tax sugary drinks and ban fast foods

near  schools in a bid to tackle the rising obesity crisis.

Written by Catharine Paddock PhD

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