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Obesity is often portrayed as a Western problem and malnutrition is typical of poor countries.
But the reality is much more complex. Nine out of ten countries are trapped in a health epidemic known as the "double burden" : this means that overweight and undernourished people live side by side.
The unprecedented availability of food, unsanitary conditions, office jobs, the expansion of transportation and the use of television are some of the causes.
Often this double burden occurs not only in the same community but also in the same family
Even can happen to the same person . Sometimes you can be overweight but lack essential nutrients.
There is also the phenomenon "thin", when people seem to have a healthy weight but actually possess large amounts of hidden fat.
Obese Children
In fact all countries in the world are struggling with nutrition problems of some sort.
The number of people suffering from chronic food deprivation reached 815 million in 2016. This represents an increase of 5% in two years. [19659005] The increase has largely occurred in Africa, where 20% of the population is malnourished.
Meanwhile, obesity rates have tripled over the past 40 years. More than 600 million adults are obese in the world and 1,900 million are overweight.
The rate of obesity in developing countries reaches the developed countries or.
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The highest rates of childhood obesity are found in Micronesia, the Middle East East and the Caribbean. And since 2000, the number of obese children in Africa has doubled.
In many countries, children have a diet that does not meet their needs .
In South Africa, nearly one in three children is overweight or obese, while another third is underweight.
In Brazil, 36% of girls are overweight or obese, while 16% weigh too little.
More money to spend
Lifestyle changes are partly responsible for this double burden of obesity and malnutrition.
Many middle and lower income countries, such as India and Brazil, have a new middle clbad with more money.
This means that many people reject their traditional foods and that they now ingest a lot of Western products rich in sugars, fats and meat, [19659028] Right of 39, author of the image
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Side by side, overweight and undernourished people.
In some countries, this has also occurred when rural dwellers move to the city, where the variety of food is much more varied.
For example, a study of young children in China found that obesity rates in the field, they were 10%, while the rate of malnutrition was 21%. In cities, 17% of children were obese, while 14% were malnourished.
Although the diet of many people is more caloric, contains very few vitamins and minerals.
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Professor Ranjan Yajnik, Diabetes Specialist in Pune, India, says the change in diet has a major effect on children.
"Normally Diabetes is considered a disease in older people and more obese people," he said. "But in India, we see it among young people and with a lower body mbad index ."
According to Professor Yajnik, Indians consume fewer and fewer nutrient-rich foods and get more calories. junk food. "Many people who look thin actually have large amounts of hidden fat."
Hidden or visceral fat accumulates around internal organs, including the liver. Elevated levels of visceral fat may increase the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease even if the wearer does not appear to be overweight.
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Many people reject their traditional foods for the benefit of junk food
Fight Against Hunger
Children are particularly vulnerable to unhealthy diets because they need vitamins and minerals to develop and develop normally.
In some families, there may be malnourished children and obese parents because despite the same diet, children need a lot more vitamins.
Malnourished children are also more likely to be overweight when they grow up, as their metabolism slows down and their body attaches to fat stores.
This means that countries must ensure that policies to combat hunger do not accidentally worsen the problem of overeating.
In Chile, a national program was launched in 1920 to provide food rations to pregnant women. and less than six years old.
Although this has improved the problem of hunger, in the long run, it is thought that it has contributed to the rapid rise in obesity rates among children .
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Obese students at a summer camp to lose weight in Zhengzhou, China.
Options
The solution to this double burden is complex.
It's not just about having access to healthy foods. Plus, there are not two people or cultures who see nutrition the same way.
Our choice of food is influenced by many factors. For example, the cost, local availability, a good knowledge of what is a healthy diet and that of the people around us.
And the nutritional needs of each person are different. It depends in part on their metabolism and their state of health.
But this double burden of obesity and malnutrition can be very dangerous.
Children who grow up malnourished tend to do worse at school. and have worse jobs later.
And obesity in children harms health in adulthood and increases the risk of diseases such as cancer.
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Little Progress little
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Overweight or malnourished people live side by side .
In developing countries, problems such as diabetes and heart disease are likely to explode as rates of obesity increase.
What can be done? South America, where many countries suffer from this double burden, shows the way.
Brazil was the first country to join the Decade of United Nations Action for Nutrition.
Among the commitments they r must produce 30% consumption of sugary drinks and increase by 18% the consumption of fruits and vegetables in order to put an end to the increase in the number of drinks. ;obesity.
Their objective is to achieve it with measures such as ] microcredit for farmers, reduction of taxes on certain fresh foods and raising children's awareness of the importance of nutrition
Mexico has was the first country to apply a "sugar tax" of 10% to artificially sweetened beverages in 2014.
This tax is expected to reduce 12.5% obesity rates in 12 years.
But much more needs to be done to end this global nutrition crisis.
This piece of badysis isis was commissioned by the BBC to experts working for an external body.
Dr. Sophie Hawkesworth works in the Population Health Team of the Wellcome Biomedical Research Charitable Association and Dr. Lindsay Keir is in the Department. of Wellcome Clinical and Physiological Sciences
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