Obesity

May 2007

Obesity across the world

• Worldwide 400 million adults are obese and 1.6 billion are overweight.¹
• Worldwide, 155 million children are overweight, including 30-45 million obese children.²
• Obesity levels have risen sharply across the globe. Even in those countries that have historically had lower rates of obesity, there is now evidence of increasing overweight.³
• In the Americas, the United States is by far the fattest country: 31% of adult males and 33% of adult females are obese.⁴
• Croatia has the largest portion of obese men in Europe, at 31% and Albania the most obese women, 36%.⁴
• In Lebanon, 36% of men are obese, the highest proportion in the Eastern Mediterranean and Jordan has the highest female incidence at 60%.⁴ 
• The most obese nations of the world are in the Western Pacific:

o in Nauru 80% of men are obese, 78% of women;
o in Tonga 47% of men and 70% of women are obese;
o in Samoa 33% of men are obese and 63% of women.⁴

Why obesity rates have risen

• People have become fatter because increased calorie intake is not offset by increased physical inactivity; in fact, globally humanity is becoming more physically inactive.⁵
• Diets have moved from being plant-based to high-fat, energy-dense animal-based diets.⁶

Obesity and cardiovascular disease

• Being overweight raises the risk of developing high blood pressure, diabetes and stiff, clogged arteries, all risk factors for cardiovascular diseases (CVD).⁸
• As an individual’s overweight increases so does the risk of developing CVD.⁸

How obesity causes CVD

• Fat, stored in the torso, affects blood pressure, the fat levels in the blood, and interferes with the body’s ability to use insulin effectively.⁷
• Failure to properly use insulin can lead to the development of type 2 diabetes, a risk factor of CVD.¹

Changes in eating habits

• Since the 60s the average daily calorie intake has increased across the globe.⁸
• The consumption of foods high in fats and sweeteners is increasing throughout the developing world, while the share of cereals is declining; intake of fruits and vegetables remains inadequate.⁹
• Families in industrialized nations spend more of their money then ever before on meals purchased away from home.¹⁰
• Commercially prepared food is higher in fat and sugar.¹¹
• The portions in fast food restaurants across the globe are between 2 to 5 times larger than 2 decades ago.¹¹
• In the US snacking contributes about one-fifth of total daily energy for adolescents and is excess calories.¹²
• In the US consumption of chips/crackers/popcorn/pretzels tripled from the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s and soft drinks intake doubled.¹⁰
• In 2006, 150,000 new foods and drinks products were launched worldwide; that is 300 new products appeared in stores around the globe each day.¹³