[ad_1]
Obesity is often presented as a Western problem and malnutrition is typical of the poorest countries
but the reality is much more complex. Nine out of 10 countries are trapped in a health epidemic called "double burden": this means that overweight and undernourished people live side by side.
The unprecedented availability of unhealthy foods, office jobs, the expansion of transportation and the use of television are some of the causes.
- Is Mexico really the most obese country in the world?
Often, this double burden does not only weigh on the same community, but also within the same family.
This apparent paradox affects more and more countries in South Africa, but also in Latin America.
It can even happen to the same person. You can sometimes be overweight but lack essential nutrients.
There is also the phenomenon of "lean fat", when people seem to have a healthy weight but actually have large amounts of hidden fat.
Obese Children
In fact, every country in the world is struggling with nutrition problems.
The number of people suffering from chronic food deprivation reached 815 million in 2016. This represents an increase of 5% in two years. [19659002] 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 in the world. they are obese while 1,900 million of them are overweight.
The number of obese people in developing countries reaches developed countries.
- The "paradox of obesity": why overweight patients Recurrences are more likely to survive an infection
The highest rates of childhood obesity can be found in Micronesia, Middle East and the Caribbean. And the number of obese children in Africa has doubled since 2000.
In many countries, children have a diet that does not meet their needs.
In South Africa, nearly one in three children is obese or obese, while another third is in underweight.
In Brazil, 36% of girls are overweight or obese, while 16% are underweight.
More money to spend
Style change. of life 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 now ingest a large amount of Western products rich in sugars, fats and meat,
People Overweight and suffering from malnutrition live side by side
In some countries, this has also occurred I am People move from the countryside to the city, where the variety of food is much greater.
For example, a study of young children in China found that the rate of obesity in the countryside was 10%, while the malnutrition rate was 21%. In cities, 17% of children were obese, while 14% were malnourished.
Although many people's diets are caloric, they contain very few vitamins and minerals.
- I was 18 years old … and that's what I learned
Professor Ranjan Yajnik, Diabetes Specialist in Pune, India, states that this change diet has a big effect on children.
"Normally, diabetes is considered a disease that older and more obese people have," he says. "But in India, this is seen among young people with a lower body mbad index."
According to Professor Yajnik, Indians consume fewer and fewer nutrient-rich foods and absorb more calories from 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. High levels of visceral fat can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease, even if the wearer does not seem to be overweight.
Many people reject their traditional foods for the benefit of junk food. ] Fighting Hunger
Children are particularly vulnerable to unhealthy diets because they need vitamins and minerals to develop normally.
In some families, there may be malnourished children and obese parents. the same diet as kids need a lot more vitamins.
Malnourished children are also more likely to be overweight as they grow older, as their metabolism slows down and their body attaches to fat stores.
Countries must ensure that policies to combat hunger do not accidentally worsen the problem of overeating. [19659002] In Chile, a national program to provide food rations for pregnant women and children under six years of age was introduced in 1920.
Although this has helped to improve the problem of hunger, it seems that in the long run, it has contributed to the rapid increase in the rate of hunger. Obesity in children.
Obese students in a summer camp to lose weight in Zhengzhou, China.
Options
The solution to this double The burden is complicated.
It's not just about having access to healthy foods. And besides, there are not two people or cultures who see nutrition in the same way.
Our choice of food is influenced by many factors. For example, cost, local availability, a good understanding of what a healthy diet is and the diets of people around us.
The nutritional needs of each person are different. It depends in part on your metabolism and your health.
But this double burden of obesity and malnutrition can be very dangerous.
Children who grow up malnourished tend to have worse results in school and later jobs.
And childhood obesity harms health in adulthood and increases the risk of diseases such as cancer.
- How much sugar does yoghurt really have?
Progressively
Overweight and malnutrition live side by side
In developing countries, problems such as diabetes and heart disease are likely to explode as obesity rates 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 United Nations Decade of Action for Nutrition.
One of the commitments is to reduce the consumption of sugary drinks by 30% and increase fruits and vegetables by 18% to stop the increase in obesity.
His goal is to achieve this through policies such as microcredit for farmers, reducing taxes on some fresh foods and educating children. on the importance of nutrition.
Mexico was the first country to apply a "sugar tax" of 10% on sweetened beverages in 2014.
This tax is expected to reduce the rate of obesity by 12%. , 5% in 12 years.
But much more is needed to end this global nutrition crisis.
This badysis was commissioned by the BBC to experts working for an external organization.
Dr. Sophie Hawkesworth works in the biomedical health team of Wellcome, a biomedical research research organization, and Dr. Lindsay Keir, in the Wellcome Department of Clinical and Physiological Sciences.
<! – Download the attached document of this news ->
[ad_2]
Source link
