Obesity Pandemic Continues

Obesity rates continue to rise throughout the world and have more than doubled in 70 countries, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Researchers analyzed trends in high BMI prevalence for almost 200 countries across 25 years from the Global Burden of Disease Study and assessed the impact on death from chronic disease. More than 600 million adults and 107 million children are classified as obese; the rate of increase for obesity among children has been even greater than the rate seen in adults. Cardiovascular disease caused 70 percent of deaths in those with excess body weight, 40 percent of which occurred in individuals who had high BMIs but were not obese. The authors call for multiple interventions designed to curb increasing BMI rates, including promotion of healthful foods in place of unhealthful foods to children.