More obese people in the world than underweight

Researchers from Imperial College London have conducted a large study that has found that there are now more obese people in the world than underweight people. The study compared the BMI of almost 20 million men and women from 1975 to 2014, it found that obesity rates have tripled in men and doubled in women in this time. The study covered 186 countries and showed that in 1975 global obesity rates were 3.2% and 6.4% in men and women respectively, now they are 10.8% and 14.9%. Professor Majid Ezzati, lead author, explained that whilst it was good to see that the rates of underweight in the world had reduced in the time period the rates of obesity had risen to a ‘crisis point’.

The study compared many other aspects of weight distribution around the world, for example China now has the largest amount of obese people in the world, whilst the UK is projected to have the highest rates of obese women in Europe by 2025. Obesity is a complex disease that will not have 1 solution, therefore the authors of this study are hoping that there will be a shift of responsibility from individuals to governments so that new policies will be developed and implemented in order to address this global epidemic.