By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-11-16 12:30:10 | Updated at 2024-11-22 19:36:11
6 days ago
Obesity levels have rocketed 17-fold in parts of the world over the past two decades, MailOnline can today reveal.
Out of the 200 countries historically tracking their collective waistlines, only France saw its share of obese adults fall between 1990 and 2022.
Bangladesh, Nepal, and the African nation of Burkina Faso all logged jumps exceeding 1,000 per cent over the same time-frame, with the obesity epidemic now apparent in every corner of Earth.
Obesity rates have doubled worldwide, including in Britain and the US, according to figures collected by the World Health Organization.
More than a billion people globally are now deemed fat, with a BMI above 30.
American Samoa, as per the WHO's most recent annual figures, illustrated in graphs and an interactive map, is the fattest nation.
Three-quarters of adults are technically obese in the Polynesian island, a territory of the US.
Rates also exceed 70 per cent in South Pacific neighbours Tonga and Naura, which topped the fat tables when modern records started in 1990.
When broken down, the WHO figures show that French and Spanish women are less obese today than in 1990.
Male waistlines have expanded in every country, MailOnline analysis shows.
Back in 1990, Vietnam, Timor-Leste, Ethiopia and Bangladesh had the lowest obesity levels.
Fewer than 0.3 per cent of people living there were considered fat at the time – the equivalent of up to one in 333.
At the time the United Kingdom's adult population was 73rd on the world obesity list, sandwiched between Bermuda and Chile with an average of 12.4 per cent.
By 2022, Britain slipped one place to 74th on the list. By this time, however, 28.7 per cent of the population were obese – an increase above 130 per cent.
This toll, however, does not include the millions of adults who are overweight but not fat enough to be considered obese.
In 1990, the US was sitting 21st on the international obesity list between Saudi Arabia and Ukraine, with 18.5 per cent of adults reporting a BMI level of at least 30.
By 2022, 42.9 per cent of American adults were obese – an increase also above 130 per cent. It pushed them up three places to 18th.
At the very bottom of the table in 2022 came Vietnam (2.1 per cent), Timor-Leste (2.3 per cent) and Ethiopia (2.4 per cent).
Professor Alexander Miras, an obesity treatment expert at Imperial College London, said: 'This data is incredibly concerning.
'What's most concerning is how quickly levels have risen, particularly in parts of the world where they also have a lot of poverty. There is a lot of food insecurity in those countries, as well as now, obesity.
'It just demonstrates that obesity is not being taken seriously.'
Tam Fry, chairman of the National Obesity Forum, said: 'The figures are disastrous.
'There are more obese people now than the malnourished people in Africa, which has surprised many people.
'This risks global health deteriorating. Obesity is a condition that is eminently preventable.
'But it is not just a condition in itself, it triggers many other problems which are even more concerning such as type two diabetes, heart conditions, kidney conditions. Therefore, the price of health will go up.'
Professor Naveed Sattar, an expert in cardiometabolic medicine at the University of Glasgow, said: 'Fast food is reaching ever more parts of the world and, with industrialisation, activity levels are declining in parallel.
'The inevitable consequence is a rise in obesity levels in nearly all countries of the world.'
Newer statistics released by the US earlier this month sparked hopes that the obesity crisis was in reverse.
Public health officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found 40 per cent of adults were obese between 2021-2023 – down from 42 per cent in the previous period.
It marked the first year-on-year decrease since the CDC began regularly tracking the metric a decade earlier.
The downward trend follows the meteoric rise of Ozempic and other game-changing weight-loss drugs, which top experts believe are ushering in a new era on the war on bulging waistlines because of their powerful effects.
Experts insist it's far too early to know if they are playing a role and that other factors could have played a role in the slight decline.
Professor Miras, who called the CDC reports 'encouraging', told MailOnline: 'People have speculated whether obesity medications have influenced this but it is just speculation.
'While it’s a reasonable assumption to make, I think it’s too soon to see the impact of them. It’s too early to make that judgement and I am suspicious.
'I doubt it because we haven't been using these medications for very long. But if it is a true phenomenon, then it is really good news.
'Covid had a bi-directional relationship with obesity globally. It caused most people to gain weight so Covid may have exacerbated the situation.
'But, equally, we know people with obesity were more vulnerable to Covid in terms of mortality and morbidity.'
Professor Sattar added: 'The slight decline overall recently may be linked to Covid when weights went up and people quickly tried to reverse it. So, I think we need more data to be sure.
'It is possible that widening use of anti-obesity drugs, especially in private markets by many before they get to a BMI which equals obesity, is slowing the rise in obesity in some countries.
'But we definitely need to see trends over the next three or four years to be sure.'
Mr Fry said: 'There is no doubt that medications like Wegovy and Mounjaro are going to help, but they're only going to help a certain limited amount of people.
'My fear is that they are actually now mainly being bought by a bunch of people who really should not be on this medication at all.
'It's not a beauty aid, it's a medication, and it's a very powerful one.'
In Britain, ministers are considering giving glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists like Wegovy and Ozempic to unemployed obese people to get them back into the work.
Labour's Health Secretary Wes Streeting has publicly stated the range of drugs have 'enormous potential'. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has also claimed they will be 'very helpful' in the war on benefits.
But the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has warned against the misuse of Ozempic and rival drugs because of their potent side effects.
More than one in ten users will suffer gastrointestinal side-effects, such as vomiting and diarrhoea.
In most cases, these are not serious but may sometimes lead to severe dehydration, resulting in hospitalisation.
Addressing the plans last week, Mr Streeting warned: 'These are not cosmetic drugs that should be taken to help get a body beautiful picture for Instagram... they’re not a quick fix to lose a few pounds.
He urged Brits desperate to lose weight not to buy them online without going through an appropriate assessment.
It is estimated that obesity costs the NHS around £6.5bn annually as it is the second biggest preventable cause of cancer.
