According to a report published in The Lancet Journal, a third of the poorest countries in the world are dealing with high levels of obesity, as well as under nourishment, which leaves people too thin.
The reports revealed that the problem is caused by easy access to ultra-processed foods and people being inactive. In addition, the report claims that countries in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia are most affected.
The report estimates that nearly 2.3 billion children and adults are overweight. Plus, more than 150 million children have stunted growth.
Many third-world and second-world countries are facing these two issues simultaneously. This is known as the “double burden of malnutrition”.
This means that 20% of people are overweight and 30% of children under four are not growing properly. Moreover, 20% of women are classified as thin.
According to the report published in The Lancet, 45 out of 123 countries were affected by the burden in the 1990s. And 48 out of 126 countries in the 2010s.
The report states that, the main reason behind increasing overweight and malnutrition is a failing food system. While increasing the number of supermarkets, easy availability of less nutritious food, as well a decrease in physical activity are leading to more people becoming over weight.
Even though, stunted growth of children in many countries is becoming less frequent, eating ultra-processed food early in life is linked to poor growth.
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