The number of people affected by obesity in the world has exceeded one billion – Liberation

Global malnutrition continues to rise and increasingly affects poor countries. A large study was published this Friday, March 1, in the British Medical Journal The Lancet And data conducted in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) show that in 32 years, obesity rates have more than doubled among adults and quadrupled among children worldwide. Obesity now affects more than a billion people worldwide, or one in eight people on Earth.

Complex and multifactorial, this chronic disease is accompanied by increased mortality due to cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, certain cancers or respiratory diseases, such as Covid-19. study of The Lancet observes an acceleration of the incidence in low or middle income countries, while it tends to plateau in Western Europe, and especially in France (+0.5% in men), even though French data are lacking and obesity remains a major issue among young adults. there

“We had expected to reach the one billion mark in 2030, but it reached faster than expected,” Thursday, February 29, Director of the Department of Nutrition and Food Security at WHO, Francesco Branca, said during a press conference organized to present the study, which is based on data from about 220 million people in more than 190 countries.

In detail, 57% of affected adults worldwide are women (504 million), but the trend has increased especially among men, tripling in thirty years, from 4.8% in 1990 to 14% in 2022. Even more alarming, obesity will affect nearly 160 million children and adolescents (94 million boys and 65 million girls) in 2022. In 1990, there were 31 million.

“A Global Problem”

Another lesson from the study: Some low- or middle-income countries, particularly in Polynesia and Micronesia, the Caribbean, the Middle East (+22% in Saudi Arabia) and North Africa, now show obesity rates higher than many countries. Industrialized countries, especially in Europe. “In the past we used to see obesity as a rich country problem, now it’s a global problem,” Francesco Branca comments. He particularly sees the effect of a “Rapid change in food systems in low- and middle-income countries, and not for the better”.

On the contrary, obesity shows “There are signs of decline in some southern European countries, particularly for women, Spain and France being notable examples”, According to Professor Majid Ezzati, one of the lead authors of the study.

from now on, “In most countries, more people are affected by obesity than underweight” (also called underweight), which has declined since the 1990s, the researchers point out. However, underweight is a major problem in certain regions of the world, such as South Asia or sub-Saharan Africa. It is linked to increased mortality in women and very young children before and after childbirth, or a higher risk of death from infectious diseases.

Obesity and underweight are two sides of malnutrition. This “double burden” of malnutrition and obesity affects many low- and middle-income countries, where on the one hand a part of the population still does not consume enough calories, while on the other hand, the processed and the development of the poor. Quality food, to the detriment of fresh produce, can lead to obesity from underweight fast tracks.

The private sector called for greater accountability

“This new study highlights the importance of obesity prevention and management from early in life and throughout adulthood, thanks to diet, physical activity and tailored care”, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, underlined in a press release. He also calls “The cooperation of the private sector, which must be responsible for the impact of its products on health”.

For the WHO, beneficial actions implemented in certain countries such as Latin America have been inadequately implemented globally. It recommends taxing sugary drinks more, subsidizing healthy foods, limiting the marketing of unhealthy foods to children, displaying nutritional data on packaging, or encouraging physical activity. In 2021, a dental device was developed in New Zealand that caused controversy due to reduced food intake.

In addition, studies The Lancet Highlights the development of a diabetes treatment that also works against obesity, whetting the appetite of pharmaceutical groups and raising the hopes of millions of patients. The authors, however, want to be careful: ““These drugs are an important tool, but not a solution.” Judged Francesco Branca, for obesity and prevention. “It’s important to look at the long-term or side effects of these drugs.”He warned.