Is Obesity a Bigger Problem than Hunger?

CNN recently ran an article highlighting that according to a recent report in the British Medical Journal Lancet, obesity is becoming a bigger problem than hunger.   500 researchers from 50 countries compared health data from 1990 through 2010 and determined there is a major shift in global health trends.  Infectious disease is no longer the threat it once once and global obesity and the consequences of that has become the concern.



The western lifestyle is being adopted around the world and the results are huge increases of obesity in every country except a far reaching area in Africa.  82% increase globally in the last two decades and Middle Eastern Countries increased 100% since 1990.

Diseases like diabetes, stroke and heart disease have become the leading causes of sickness and disability.  Technology advancements help stroke and heart attack patients live longer but many times with a lower quality of life. 

"All these problems are tied to obesity," Mokdad said.  "We're even seeing a large percentage of people suffering back pain now.  If we could lower the obesity rates, we'd see the numbers of noncommunicable diseases and pain decrease as well."

Switching the focus from treating disease to preventing disease is the only real solution and this begins at home.  Following through on lifestyle changes like eating habits, exercise plans and balancing work and home demands to reduce stress are critical starting points to reverse this trend.

Picture from CNN article link above