Obesity Becomes Most Prevalent Form of Malnutrition, Affecting Over 1 Billion People Worldwide
More than 1 billion children, adolescents, and adults are currently living with obesity, making it the most common form of malnutrition in many countries. This staggering statistic was revealed in a recent analysis published in The Lancet journal. The study, conducted by over 1,500 researchers from the Non-Communicable Diseases Risk Factor Collaboration and the World Health Organization, analyzed the height and weight measurements of more than 220 million people from over 190 countries.
The analysis found that the rapid transition from underweight to obesity in low-income and middle-income countries has contributed significantly to the alarming rise in obesity rates. Dr. Majid Ezzati, senior author of the analysis and professor at Imperial College London, expressed surprise at how quickly this transition has occurred. Previous estimates by the World Obesity Federation suggested that there would be 1 billion people living with obesity by 2030, but this number has already been surpassed in 2022.
The implications of these findings are profound and raise concerns regarding the lack of access to a healthy diet as a key factor driving the rise in obesity. Dr. Francesco Branca, director of the WHO Department of Nutrition and Food Safety, emphasized that undernutrition and obesity are two sides of the same problem. The analysis highlights the urgent need for policy
