Top List of 10 Most Obese Countries

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jmv7117
jmv7117 Posts: 891 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I thought this would be an interesting topic:

http://health.usnews.com/health-news/health-wellness/articles/2014/05/28/america-tops-list-of-10-most-obese-countries?src=usn_fb

Of note to me, Canada did not make the list so cheers to my fellow Canadians. Five countries do surprise me: Brazil, Mexico, Pakistan, India and Indonesia. I doubt the stone can be cast towards the fast food industry in these countries but I could be wrong. The costs of treating obesity related illness is quite high! Considering obesity is largely preventable with the real solution being personal responsibility and in the case of children, care giver responsibility, it is clear that some type of intervention is necessary.
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Replies

  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    they don't surprise me at all..

    Glad Canada isn't on the list..must have been from all the shovelling we did this winter.
  • jakkidoodles
    jakkidoodles Posts: 103
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    Is this age standardised?

    I'm surprised the UK isn't on the list as we are the fattest country in Europe!- Though Germany has a larger population so if they arn't going by percentage and just plain numbers, it's not a very good indicator!
  • localised
    localised Posts: 25
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    other than brazil, these don't surprise me. i do think that genetics plays a big part in this, especially for south asians. add to that the fact that these countries all have rapidly developing economies and growing middle classes (which eat out more, buy lots of fried/junk food, etc) and there you go...
  • annar298
    annar298 Posts: 66 Member
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    I am not surprised with Mexico, as it is a poor country they are fat ridden in cooking foods. I have Mexican heritage and I grew up on lard predominately. Just due to my mother that's the only way to cook.... I do not cook in that or etc. So yes I can believe that.
  • daynerz
    daynerz Posts: 227 Member
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    Wooop cheers Canada!
  • westcoastSW
    westcoastSW Posts: 320 Member
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    This isn't a list of countries based on their percentages of obese people, though. It says, "More than half of the 671 million obese people in the world live in 10 countries, and America tops the list." I.e., it's skewed based on total population -- meaning even worse news for the US, which has far fewer people than China or India -- and potentially omitting countries with smaller populations (perhaps the UK, as was mentioned above).
  • Heatherybit
    Heatherybit Posts: 91 Member
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    The various genes that scientists have so far identified that could have an impact on weight is miniscule. There are "thrifty" genes that may affect a person's ability to get obese, but these genes in themselves do not make them obese. Just like genes that affect alcoholism doesn't make one an alcoholic.

    I find it difficult to accept the continual blame game of the obesity epidemic on genetics. The percentage of those that are affected by "Thrifty" genes have not increased, but the percentage of the obese in the population has spiked.

    Therefore, unless the metabolic genes themselves have started mutating on their own to become "thrifty" genes, blaming genetics is not acceptable answer to the increase in the obesity percentage.

    http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/obesity-prevention-source/obesity-causes/genes-and-obesity/
  • tacticalhippie
    tacticalhippie Posts: 596 Member
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    We were discussing this at work the other day, and the fact that most people refuse to eat healthy and exercise. They just want magic pills.
  • albayin
    albayin Posts: 2,524 Member
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    other than brazil, these don't surprise me. i do think that genetics plays a big part in this, especially for south asians. add to that the fact that these countries all have rapidly developing economies and growing middle classes (which eat out more, buy lots of fried/junk food, etc) and there you go...

    Indonesia has large population from India and Pakistan, which makes sense.

    Mexico and Brazil didn't surprise me at all, knowing with my own eyes.

    On the contrary, I wonder if Argentina should be on the "top thinnest countries", also seeing with my own eyes. LOL
  • albayin
    albayin Posts: 2,524 Member
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    And I think China is catching up...very quickly...
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
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    Is this age standardised?

    I'm surprised the UK isn't on the list as we are the fattest country in Europe!- Though Germany has a larger population so if they arn't going by percentage and just plain numbers, it's not a very good indicator!

    I'm more than surprised the UK didn't make the list, I almost dropped my donut in shock.
  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
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    I thought this would be an interesting topic:

    http://health.usnews.com/health-news/health-wellness/articles/2014/05/28/america-tops-list-of-10-most-obese-countries?src=usn_fb

    Of note to me, Canada did not make the list so cheers to my fellow Canadians. Five countries do surprise me: Brazil, Mexico, Pakistan, India and Indonesia. I doubt the stone can be cast towards the fast food industry in these countries but I could be wrong. The costs of treating obesity related illness is quite high! Considering obesity is largely preventable with the real solution being personal responsibility and in the case of children, care giver responsibility, it is clear that some type of intervention is necessary.

    Not that I'm disputing that US has an obesity problem...but this list is not based on percentage but simply raw numbers.

    In other news - China, India & US also have more left-handed people than Liechtenstein, Iceland, and Suriname.
  • itodd4019
    itodd4019 Posts: 340 Member
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    hahaha "I need to eat a skinny person" - LOL at that avie!

    I was surprised to see China on there.
  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
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    I was surprised to see China on there.

    The list is based on total # of people, not percent of population

    WIth a billion and a half people, even if a tiny percentage were obese, it would exceed the entire population of more than half the world's countries.
  • tedrickp
    tedrickp Posts: 1,229 Member
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    Yeah if it isn't percentage based it seems like a useless list...

    If you look up the top ten most populous countries the list isn't far different...
  • TuesdayMomma6
    TuesdayMomma6 Posts: 4
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    Its sad to see 25.8% of US Children are obese.
  • ils_1231
    ils_1231 Posts: 249 Member
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    i thought mexico had surpassed australia as having the most obese people ....
  • ils_1231
    ils_1231 Posts: 249 Member
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    http://www.cbsnews.com/news/mexico-takes-title-of-most-obese-from-america/
  • umer76
    umer76 Posts: 1,272 Member
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    It is not Fast food in Pakistan that is making people obese. The main culprits for us are the traditional eating habits i.e. white rice and whole wheat roti/Nan bread which are part of every meal. Lots and lots of carbs and sodium in them. Fast food is also catching up fast in bigger cities! Eating habits and genetics are to be blamed equally.
  • Heatherybit
    Heatherybit Posts: 91 Member
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    It is not Fast food in Pakistan that is making people obese. The main culprits for us are the traditional eating habits i.e. white rice and whole wheat roti/Nan bread which are part of every meal. Lots and lots of carbs and sodium in them. Fast food is also catching up fast in bigger cities! Eating habits and genetics are to be blamed equally.

    Eating habits and GENETICS are not equally to blame. Only a very small percentage of the human population is affected by genes that control metabolic and lipid storage. Genes do not mutate this way.

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