Overweight & Obesity Issues
Overweight Outrank Underweight
For the first time, the number of overweight individuals worldwide rivals
those who are underweight. And sadly, developing nations have joined the
ranks of countries encumbered by obesity.
Overweight Worldwide
A 1999 United Nations study found obesity in all developing regions, and
growing rapidly, even in countries where hunger exists. In China, the
number of overweight people jumped from less than 10 percent to 15 percent
in just three years. In Brazil and Colombia, the figure of overweight
hovers around 40 percent -- a level comparable to a number of European
countries. Even sub-Saharan Africa, where most of the world's hungry live,
is seeing an increase in obesity, especially among urban women. In all
regions, obesity seems to grow as income increases.
Overweight & Malnutrition
Practically all of the hungry and many of the overweight are weakened
by malnutrition: A lack of vitamins and minerals referred to as micronutrient
deficiency. The thinking used to be that if people get enough energy in
their diets, the micronutrients will take care of themselves. But increasingly
people are eating larger quantities of cheap food that fill the stomach
but still leave the body without those micronutrients.
Source 2002. Focus And Agriculture Organization
United Nations.
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