© Creative CommonsMagnetic Resonance Imaging showing variation in visceral fat (litres) in men with the same waist circumference (84 cm). Fat appears as whiter in color.
A
global survey in 2016 said
the ratio of obese adults had more than doubled in the 40 years since 1975. Of about five billion adults alive in 2014, 641 million were obese. Despite efforts from government agencies and the population at large, the upwards trend seem set to continue.
According to
research presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Vienna on May 23rd 2018, 22 percent of people in the world will be obese by 2045, up from 14 percent last year. One in eight people, up from one in 11, will have type 2 diabetes.
In the United States, the researchers found obesity will increase from 39 percent of the population in 2017 to 55 percent in 2045, and diabetes from 14 percent to 18 percent. In Britain, the proportion will swell from 32 percent to 48 percent, with the incidence of diabetes rising from 10.2 percent to 12.6 percent.
A team of researchers obtained these from a World Health Organization database with population data for all countries in the world. They divided the population of each country into age groups and further into body mass index (BMI) categories, looking at trends to make projections.
BMI is a ratio of height to weight used to divide people into low- to high-risk categories for developing heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and certain cancers. A person with a BMI of 25 or more is considered overweight, and 30 or higher obese. A healthy BMI ranges from 18.5 to 24.9.
However, contrary to popular belief and its very definition, BMI doesn't detect people who are at most risk for developing cardiovascular disease and other chronic diseases such as diabetes. This is why doctors have guidelines that ignore BMI. In this article we'll learn why and the implications.
Comment: For an in-depth discussion of the new trade wars, as well as their implications, tune in to this recent Behind the Headlines show: