Current:Home > FinanceHalf of world on track to be overweight or obese by 2035, report says -Momentum Wealth Path
Half of world on track to be overweight or obese by 2035, report says
View
Date:2025-04-19 07:40:32
More than half of the world's population will be obese or overweight by 2035, according to a new report from the World Obesity Federation.
In the 2023 World Obesity Atlas report, the organization projected that 51% of the global population will be "living with overweight and obesity within 12 years if prevention, treatment and support do not improve."
If current trends prevail, the report also predicts childhood obesity could more than double compared to 2020 levels.
"Rates are predicted to double among boys to 208 million (100% increase) and more than double among girls to 175 million (125% increase) and are rising more rapidly among children than adults," the report states.
The World Health Organization defines overweight and obesity "as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to health. A body mass index (BMI) over 25 is considered overweight, and over 30 is obese."
The increases forecast in the report would mean 1 in 4 people will be living with obesity, compared to 1 in 7 today.
"This year's Atlas is a clear warning that by failing to address obesity today, we risk serious repercussions in the future. It is particularly worrying to see obesity rates rising fastest among children and adolescents," said Louise Baur, president of the World Obesity Federation, in a statement about the report. "Governments and policymakers around the world need to do all they can to avoid passing health, social, and economic costs on to the younger generation. That means looking urgently at the systems and root factors that contribute to obesity, and actively involving young people in the solutions."
While obesity is often seen as an issue for wealthier countries, where rates are generally higher, the report found lower income countries are facing rapid increases‚ adding that these countries are the"least able to respond to obesity and its consequences."
- Recognizing and treating obesity as a disease
- Consider drugs and surgery early for obesity in kids, new guidelines say: "Waiting doesn't work"
"Of the 10 countries with the greatest expected increases in obesity globally (for both adults and children), 9 of those are from low or lower-middle income countries," the report states.
Overweight and obesity are risk factors for a number of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular diseases such as heart disease and stroke, diabetes and certain cancers. Childhood obesity is associated with a range of serious health complications as well as an increased risk of premature onset of related illnesses.
BMI is a formula that uses a person's height and weight ratio to assess whether they're underweight, normal weight, overweight or obese, although it is not a direct measure of body fat.
While it's a tool that's been used by doctors for decades, the system of measuring has increasingly coming under fire with critics denouncing BMI as not just unreliable but sexist and racist. And as CBS Reports found in a 2020, even many clinicians who see value in it also recognize its flaws.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers BMI an "inexpensive and easy screening method" that is "strongly correlated" with weight-related medical conditions.
- In:
- Obesity
- Weight Loss
veryGood! (98594)
Related
- What to know about Tuesday’s US House primaries to replace Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz
- Honda recalls nearly 1.2 million cars over faulty backup camera
- 5 tips to keep your pet safe — and comfortable — in extreme heat
- 988 mental health crisis line gets 5 million calls, texts and chats in first year
- Questlove charts 50 years of SNL musical hits (and misses)
- Orlando Bloom's Shirtless Style Leaves Katy Perry Walking on Air
- FDA approves Opill, the first daily birth control pill without a prescription
- Supreme Court tosses House Democrats' quest for records related to Trump's D.C. hotel
- Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
- Elizabeth Holmes Begins 11-Year Prison Sentence in Theranos Fraud Case
Ranking
- 'Survivor' 47 finale, part one recap: 2 players were sent home. Who's left in the game?
- American Climate Video: When a School Gym Becomes a Relief Center
- 2 dead, 15 injured after shooting at Michigan party
- American Climate Video: After a Deadly Flood That Was ‘Like a Hurricane,’ a Rancher Mourns the Loss of His Cattle
- US appeals court rejects Nasdaq’s diversity rules for company boards
- Man, teenage stepson dead after hiking in extreme heat through Texas's Big Bend National Park
- Carbon Tax and the Art of the Deal: Time for Some Horse-Trading
- Mayan Lopez Shares the Items She Can't Live Without, From Dreamy Body Creams to Reusable Grocery Bags
Recommendation
DeepSeek: Did a little known Chinese startup cause a 'Sputnik moment' for AI?
How to start swimming as an adult
Transcript: Cindy McCain on Face the Nation, June 25, 2023
Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS Only Has Sales Twice a Year: Don't Miss These Memorial Day Deals
Military service academies see drop in reported sexual assaults after alarming surge
Unchecked Global Warming Could Collapse Whole Ecosystems, Maybe Within 10 Years
A Bipartisan Climate Policy? It Could Happen Under a Biden Administration, Washington Veterans Say
5 tips to keep your pet safe — and comfortable — in extreme heat