Global obesity is on the rise
By John Tozzi and Jeremy Scott Diamond, Bloomberg
Humanity is putting on weight. Across the globe, in wealthy countries and developing nations, among children and adults, an increasing number of people are overweight or obese.
Today, nearly 40 percent of the world’s adults fall into one of those categories, according to estimates by a global network of researchers called the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration.
Economic forces are conspiring to cause the great global weight gain. Countries grow wealthier and increase consumption. People move from rural areas to cities, where they have ready access to inexpensive, processed foods. Machines do work that humans once did, decreasing the amount of energy people use.
And global trade means the reach of junk food has never been greater. Up against these trends, no country has figured out how to reverse the rise of obesity.