Once again, more reports are hitting the headlines regarding the growing problem of obesity, this time stating that it’s continuing to grow worldwide and not one country has been successful in treating it.

Shockingly, the number of obese and overweight people in the world has now topped 2.1 billion, having risen from 875 million in 1980. Obesity has been found to be most prevalent in the US, China, India, Russia, Brazil, Mexico and Egypt with the UK having the third highest prevalence in Western Europe (67% of men and 57% of women overweight or obese).

Increasing levels of obesity is often blamed on modernisation, which has caused us to lead inactive lifestyles and it’s clear that poor nutrition is contributing to this problem too. With the cost often associated with eating healthily it’s no wonder that this is such a vast problem, when junk food is cheaper and also more convenient. The fact is, a bag of apples costs more than a pack of biscuits and a bag of nuts costs more than a bar of chocolate. In my opinion, reversing these costs would lead to much healthier food choices, yet junk food is becoming cheaper and cheaper.

Personally, I think the negative associations made with obesity reflect a person’s looks far more than the damaging effects it has to the body, including the wide range of long term conditions obesity is associated with, including type 2 diabetes, depression, cardiovascular disease, osteoarthritis and cancer. People can literally eat themselves to poor health and even death, but education regarding the impact of obesity on health is scarce.

It’s evident that obesity is a major global health challenge, increasing in prevalence year on year throughout the world. Even more concerning is that there has been no success in treating this problem, yet it’s clear that good nutrition and regular activity is a simple remedy when it comes to healthy weight management. Despite this, authorities worldwide are yet to be successful when it comes to implementation.

It will come as no surprise that this figure is going to continually increase until a successful intervention is achieved, and this needs to happen with urgency. Whilst we may not be able to solve the problem of global obesity single-handedly, we can certainly look to improve our own health and maintain a healthy weight through eating a healthy diet and engaging in regular exercise.

Adie Blanchard – Researcher

Source

http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(14)60460-8/abstract

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-27586365