Top List of 10 Most Obese Countries

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  • bethlaf
    bethlaf Posts: 954 Member
    147 BILLION dollar diet industry.. and related health care -...
    hmmm.... im missing a serious revenue stream ...
  • AglaeaC
    AglaeaC Posts: 1,974 Member
    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:
    The only benefit of overweight is increasing bone mass, which is counteracting osteoporosis. Otherwise I see nothing but cons to being overweight/obese.

    The reason we create such monstrous fat layers when overeating is obviously because it was a good thing, those capabilities were favoured; there was something to live on when food was scarce. But today, when people keep shoving increasing portion sizes, humongous amounts of excess calories down their throats, it still goes to where it can be stored.

    ETA
    Height: take Asian countries for instance. Food has slowly changed and kids might become much taller than their parents, who are still alive. It's all in the nutrition and the parents would have grown as tall as the kids, had they had the same supplies.
  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
    We're number 1! We're number 1!

    Wait...
  • Matrix_Dragon
    Matrix_Dragon Posts: 33 Member
    Glad to see Canada isn't on there. I guess it's the fact that our seasons are completely whack ( It was 39 degrees yesterday... )

    As I grew up Indian food and my parents parents etc. The reason is that ALOT of Indian food is HEAVY in fat and calories. Butter chicken for example; gets its creamy texture/taste from the tomato sauce ( which is ok ) the 2-3 cups of yogurt, the cup of butter etc.
    It all adds up in the end. Throw in the fact that roti, naan, pronta etc are all white flour ( and most people eat at least 2-4 per meal ) and that's easily a ton of calories.

    Finally throw in that most people drive and have office jobs, and it eventually adds up.

    Regardless; it's almost impossible to change a country; you can only really do what YOU can to stay fit, as well as encourage your family and friends.
  • ChristinaOrtiz23
    ChristinaOrtiz23 Posts: 1,546 Member
    We're number 1! We're number 1!

    Wait...

    :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
  • AglaeaC
    AglaeaC Posts: 1,974 Member
    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.
    People don't work as much with their hands as they do knowledge work these days. It's not too long ago when offices didn't even exist. (A sidetrack is how information and knowledge is treated in schools; in general there isn't much being taught how to learn but you're supposed to figure it out on your own.)
  • jmv7117
    jmv7117 Posts: 891 Member
    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:

    We know that the life expectancy has increased and there is evidence of increased height. However, we might actually be seeing natural selection. Obesity presents numerous health problems including a shortened lifespan and reduced fertility. In terms of reproduction, there is a lowered chance of conceiving which equates to lowered chance of passing on your genes. If an individual is obese before they reach the age where reproduction is possible which is what we are seeing with the increasing level of childhood obesity there will be a lowered fecundity. In the big picture, it becomes human population control through over eating.
  • eddiesmith1
    eddiesmith1 Posts: 1,550 Member
    It's good to see Canada isn't on there, but I think it's more to do with this measuring top # of obese people versus a percentage of population.. Statistically the only valid comparison of countries would be percentages, but that doens't drive the same amount of click throughs to web sites
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    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).

    Right--it's actually quite misleading unless you pay attention to what it's measuring. If you cross reference with the information about obesity rates (these are from the FAO and a little out of date (2008), but consistent with the population-based numbers), you see:

    US-- 31.8% (we kick a** on any scale)
    China -- 5.6%
    India -- 1.9%
    Russia -- 24.9%
    Brazil -- 19.5%
    Mexico -- 32.8%
    Egypt -- 34.6%
    Germany -- 21.3%
    Pakistan -- 5.9%
    Indonesia -- 4.7%

    Some others worth noting, but ignored due to smaller populations

    Kuwait -- 42.8%
    South Africa -- 33.5%
    Bahrain -- 32.6%
    Argentina -- 29.4%
    New Zealand -- 27%
    Czech Republic -- 28.7%
    Ireland -- 24.5%
    UK -- 24.9%
    Canada -- 24.3%

    Also, re fast food, the dramatic increase in the US is supposed to have occurred especially since 1990, and fast food was well established before then. (I haven't looked at the numbers, though.)
  • omma_to_3
    omma_to_3 Posts: 3,265 Member
    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).

    This. If it was based on population, I believe Somoa usually ends up on top.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    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).

    This. If it was based on population, I believe Somoa usually ends up on top.

    From the list I was using Samoa is 55.5%, but gets beaten by Tonga (59.6%) and Cook Islands (64.1%).
  • tedrickp
    tedrickp Posts: 1,229 Member
    I'd say increased caloric intake has more to do with obesity than a perceived sedentary lifestyle (or genetics)

    Here is a great paper on it:
    http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/early/2009/10/14/ajcn.2009.28595.full.pdf

    Interesting notes...

    Estimated intake for children:

    1970s: 1690cals/day
    2000s: 2043cals/day

    Esitmated intake for adults:
    1970s: 2398 cals/day
    2000s: 2859 cals/day in the 2000

    That difference in intake actually mirrors the average weight gain over the same time period.
  • jimbmc
    jimbmc Posts: 83 Member
    Here in the UK, we have gone through a regime against the effects of smoking. 30 years ago, roughly 80% of the population smoked, these days its more like 30%. This has been due to education, peer pressure, Health, and a number of Bans put in place.

    You cant smoke in Pubs or restaraunts, you cant smoke in other public areas, Railway stations, Town centres etc etc. Cigarettes are now packaged with large warnings on them, including graphic images. If you go into a shop, you cant see the Cigarette counter anymore, it HAS to be covered up, and the PRICE has shot up rapidly - 20 cigarettes for approx £7.00 or more.

    I guess this has helped cut down on the % of the pop that smoke.

    Whilst I applaud this (I AM an ex-smoker btw), I truly believe that the obesity issue is having a larger impact on health than smoking ever did.

    To put it simply, a Child is more likely to get OVERWEIGHT, long before they think about taking up smoking.

    If we could place the same restrictions and regulations on the fast food industry, then I'm sure it would go along way to reducing the Obesity problems aroud the world.

    So instead of a McDonalds Happy meal, being covered in Pictures of Slender Disney Princess' or Well-built Superheroes', we should place pictures of people with severe Diabetis, Heart Conditions, Limb ulcers etc.

    SHow a child a picture of someone severly overweight at the age of 20, bed-ridden in their own home and having to go through a number of surgical operations in order to save their life, I'm sure it might make them think twice.


    N.B. Please do not think I am having a go at people who are suffering from weight and diet issues. Thats the reason we are all on here! Myself included! But I know, that if someone had said to me 30 years ago "btw, that Large Burger Meal your eating contains 1600 calories, and if you keep eating them, you will end up 5 stone overweight", then chances are, I wouldnt have to use MFP.
  • manhn1
    manhn1 Posts: 137 Member
    US-- 31.8% (we kick a** on any scale)
    China -- 5.6%
    India -- 1.9%
    Russia -- 24.9%
    Brazil -- 19.5%
    Mexico -- 32.8%
    Egypt -- 34.6%
    Germany -- 21.3%
    Pakistan -- 5.9%
    Indonesia -- 4.7%

    I love that less than 2% of the population in India is deemed obese (OMG!), but there are posters expressing no surprise at India's supposed obesity epidemic. 2%!
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    http://www.sciencenewsline.com/articles/2014052823190016.html

    They sure picked a weird stat out of the article. I guess alarmist info sells more magazines.

    Here's some other, more heartening info from it:

    "In developed countries, the rate of increase in adult obesity has started to slow down in the past 8 years..."

    "However, there is some evidence of a plateau in adult obesity rates that provides some hope that the epidemic might have peaked in some developed countries and that populations in other countries might not reach the very high rates of more than 40% reported in some developing countries."*"
  • dmenchac
    dmenchac Posts: 447 Member
    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).

    This.

    Take this article with a grain of salt. It is incredibly skewed.
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    US-- 31.8% (we kick a** on any scale)
    China -- 5.6%
    India -- 1.9%
    Russia -- 24.9%
    Brazil -- 19.5%
    Mexico -- 32.8%
    Egypt -- 34.6%
    Germany -- 21.3%
    Pakistan -- 5.9%
    Indonesia -- 4.7%

    I love that less than 2% of the population in India is deemed obese (OMG!), but there are posters expressing no surprise at India's supposed obesity epidemic. 2%!

    Yeah! That country is thin!!
  • BuoyantSoul
    BuoyantSoul Posts: 117 Member
    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.

    Thank you for being the voice of scientific reason here.

    In China people have grown much taller over the course of two generations. I literally tower over the grannies here, whereas I'm only slightly taller than those in their 20s. It's not evolution, but the fact that those grannies were children during the famine, meaning food was scarce, and the generation which is now in their 20s grew up during a time of increased prosperity and food abundance. Also, during the famine and the generation directly following, people often did not get adequate nutrition, particularly calcium and vitamin D. The aging population has a lot of skeletal disorders including bowlegs (which happens during early childhood) and osteoporosis plus other disorders related to childhood nutritional deficit.

    Since famine is in the living memory of many grandparents here, people are extremely cautious about feeding children enough. I would even say obsessed, which is understandable considering how many children died during the famine. The result is that babies and young children are often overfed and obese. In that past that was a sign of health and meant your child would probably survive. Remember that in China, infant and maternal mortality was high up until relatively recently and some of that had to do with improper nutrition, among other factors. So even though now people needn't worry so much about it, the mindset hasn't really changed. Fat = strong, at least for children.
  • ALKNica
    ALKNica Posts: 50
    US-- 31.8% (we kick a** on any scale)
    China -- 5.6%
    India -- 1.9%
    Russia -- 24.9%
    Brazil -- 19.5%
    Mexico -- 32.8%
    Egypt -- 34.6%
    Germany -- 21.3%
    Pakistan -- 5.9%
    Indonesia -- 4.7%

    I love that less than 2% of the population in India is deemed obese (OMG!), but there are posters expressing no surprise at India's supposed obesity epidemic. 2%!

    Yeah! That country is thin!!

    The population of India is 1,236,344,631. 2% of that is nearly 25 million people, or thereabouts, almost as much as the entire population of Texas. That is still a large number of people, even if it's not a large percentage of the population.

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