More people in the developing world are now overweight than hungry. How

can the poorest countries fight obesity?

main points:• Globalization in LDC’s has brought the unhealthy Western diet with it.

- pop (i.e. high fructose corn syrup)

- saturated fat

- animal source foods

• people in LDC’s are adopting lifestyles that contribute to obesity

- more sedentary jobs

- more screen time

• no country has ever managed to reduce its # of overweight citizens

For most developing nations, obesity has emerged as a more serious threat

than hunger. Mexico

Egypt

S. Africa

S. America

Middle E.

N. Africa

50% of adults are overweight or obese

25% of adults are overweight or obese

World wide 1.3 billion people are overweight

800 million are underweight

Those #’s are diverging rapidly

What are the reasons for this?

In less than 1 generation:

• Kids are drinking large amounts of pop• and getting a lot more screen time

• More food in LDC’s is bought in grocery stores (not farmer’s markets; vegetable stands etc) Grocery store food is highly processed = added sugar, fat, salt etc.

• Meat consumption has 50% since 1930

• DC gov’ts and large food companies are flooding LDC’s with cheap sweeteners, oils and meat

Health effects…(just to name a few)

• An explosive upsurge in diabetes

• Heart disease

• Hypertension

• Congestive heart failure

• Gout

• Stroke

…Mexixico…• 1989 – 10% adults overweight• 2006 – 69.3% adults overweight

Why did thishappen?

Proximity to US – culture, media

Connection to obesity & poverty

Rural to Urban migration

-tv, internet, print ads forunhealthy food

- but some rural areasare also affected

- incomes have risen enough for more screen time/processed food; but no access to education about healthy foods, or recreational activities to mitigate these factors

Biggest contributor:

japan

usa

• b/c water has no calories, humans did not evolve to reduce food intake to compensate for calorie consumption

• Putting sweeteners into bev’s added 137 calories to the average daily US diet (1977-2006)

Over 1 year that equals 14 lbs.

Solutions…

• Gov’t can restrict access to unhealthy foods…esp. in grade schools and high schools

• gov’t subsidies to meat/poultry/dairy could be shifted to fruits and veggies

• Tax sweeteners - high fructose corn syrup - sweetened beverages

• Revenues from these taxes could be used to encourage better nutrition

• Ban ads for sweetened foods and beverages from children’s TV, or even all media

If nothing is done, the medical costs of obesity

related illness could bring down the economies of

China and India and many other Developing nations