As the world continues to see the expansion of waistlines, a new study shows alarming trends not just in the United States, but across the globe.
The world is getting fatter, states the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013, published in The Lancet. Even as other parts of the world compete with the United States on obesity levels, the overall numbers show 10 countries make up more than half of the world's obese population.
Globally, the obesity level has risen by nearly 30 percent for adults, and nearly 50 percent over the past three decades. Currently there are more than 2.1 billion obese people on the planet. Overweight was defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of 25kg/m² or higher and obesity as having a BMI of 30kg/m² or higher. BMI is a measurement of a person's weight that takes into account his or her height.
But half of those people live in just 10 countries: China, India, Russia, Brazil, Mexico, Egypt, Germany, Pakistan, Indonesia. The United States remains the top country in terms of numbers of obese residents, amounting for 13 percent of the total number of obese people worldwide.
The Middle East leads the way in the number of women entering the obese population. The highest number of women becoming obese are in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain and the Central American country Honduras. For men, the highest increases are in Bahrain, Kuwait, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia and the United States.
The study was helmed by Professor Emmanuela Gakidou from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, where researchers assessed trends in research reports published over the past 33 years.
"Unlike other major global health risks, such as tobacco and childhood nutrition, obesity is not decreasing worldwide," she said.
"Our findings show that increases in the prevalence of obesity have been substantial, widespread, and have arisen over a short time," she added.
Despite the alarming numbers, she did add there appears to be some hope that obesity rates in adults are on a plateau, but the concern lies with children, where the marked jump in obesity continues to affect millions.
The researcher said it is time for global institutions and governments to tackle the problem head-on before it becomes unmanageable, noting the United Nation's goal of eradicating obesity by 2025 is "very ambitious."
"In particular, urgent global leadership is needed to help low-and middle-income countries intervene to reduce excessive calorie intake, physical inactivity, and active promotion of food consumption by industry," Gakidou added.
