Top List of 10 Most Obese Countries
jmv7117
Posts: 891 Member
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.
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
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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.0 -
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!0 -
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...0
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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.0
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Wooop cheers Canada!0
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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).0
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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/0 -
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.0
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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. LOL0 -
And I think China is catching up...very quickly...0
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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.0 -
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.0 -
hahaha "I need to eat a skinny person" - LOL at that avie!
I was surprised to see China on there.0 -
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.0 -
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...0 -
Its sad to see 25.8% of US Children are obese.0
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i thought mexico had surpassed australia as having the most obese people ....0
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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.0
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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.0 -
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.
That mindset is apparent even on MFP
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Okay eating habits are more to be blamed and not having active/sporty life style is also resulting in obesity.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.0 -
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...
Genetics plays a role in body statue (eg. height, bone size) but has little to do with obesity. Obesity tends to run in some families simply because that is what they learned and they continue to teach overeating to the next generation. The teaching may be subtle but it is there. Granted there is a socioeconomic aspect to obesity but that too is used as an excuse.0 -
Okay eating habits are more to be blamed and not having active/sporty life style is also resulting in obesity.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.
YES!0 -
I have been wondering about this for a while...is it possible being bigger and heavier become part of the evolution? Our ancestors were living through much harder times when food supply was scarce and they had to work harder given technology was so advanced. We see obesity being big health threat but also trends that younger generations become taller and heavier overall...I don't know just wondering...please don't bash me~:flowerforyou:0
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THIS. I would propose that the obesity issue lies more with environmental and habitual issues. Industry in the countries mentioned in the article have increased, which usually means an increase in income for the people that live there. More income brings more businesses and a lot of those businesses will be food related (restaurants). Also more income means that more food can be bought and stored and usually when open access to food happens, people have a tendency to eat much more than they are used to.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/
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Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
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.
The finger is often pointed at the fast food industry and while I rarely eat at a fast food restaurant, I don't feel they are solely to blame in the obesity issue. Yes, they play a role via marketing, folks have a choice to not eat there. I would hazard a guess that in a country such as Pakistan the culprit is a combination of eating more and moving less. Carbs only matter if you are eating more than you should if you adhere to the calories in vs calories out. Sodium affects water weight. I agree that eating habits are to blame but not genetics.0 -
I have been wondering about this for a while...is it possible being bigger and heavier become part of the evolution? Our ancestors were living through much harder times when food supply was scarce and they had to work harder given technology was so advanced. We see obesity being big health threat but also trends that younger generations become taller and heavier overall...I don't know just wondering...please don't bash me~:flowerforyou:
Not bashing, completely understand how the statistics seem to show this.
1. Evolution doesn't work this fast
2. We are taller because of the amount of early childhood nutrients
3. 30 years in the US and even less than 10 years in other countries, trend, is not supported human evolution being the cause.
I truly believe it's our lifestyle. I've seen it reflected in my personal weight gain. Sitting my rear all day, coding, glued to a monitor 12 hours pushing code through, and eating McNuggets because I could easily stuff them in my face while not skipping a beat.0 -
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.
Haha! YUP!!
..so much winter...0 -
damn US smh!!0
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