A new study published in the medical journal The Lancet suggests that more than half of the world’s adult population may be overweight or obese by the year 2050. According to the research, the number of people suffering from obesity and overweight is increasing rapidly worldwide. Experts warn that by 2050, over 3.8 billion adults and 746 million children and adolescents will be at risk due to this trend.
The study’s lead author, Professor Emmanuela Gakidou of the University of Washington, stated, “The unprecedented global epidemic of overweight and obesity is a deep tragedy and a colossal social problem.”
Currently, 2.11 billion adults over 25 and 493 million children and adolescents aged five to 24 are obese or overweight. In 1990, these numbers were significantly lower, at 731 million and 198 million, respectively.
Eight countries have the highest number of overweight individuals, with China, India, the United States, Brazil, Russia, Mexico, Indonesia and Egypt accounting for more than half of the total. The Middle East, North Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean are expected to experience a rapid increase in the number of obese individuals in the near future.
Children and adolescents are gaining weight at a faster rate than older generations. In countries with high incomes, for instance, only 7 percent of men aged 25 were obese in the 1960s, but this number has risen to 16 percent for those born in the 1990s and is expected to reach 25 percent for those born in 2015.
The rise in obesity poses the risk of an increase in patients with diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and cancer. Furthermore, this trend also puts an additional burden on the healthcare systems of various countries.