You might think the U.S. is the most obese nation in the world - but if you do, you are wrong.
Soaring
rates of obesity in the Pacific Islands, nations in the South Pacific
Ocean east of Australia and Fiji, have shot to the top of the worldwide
obesity scale.
Previously it has been theorised that Pacific Islanders are genetically predisposed to obesity.
But experts now say the introduction of Western diets to the islands are to blame for the problem.
American Samoa, found south of Samoa, tops the chart, with 75 per cent of the population reported as obese.
Graphic shows an epidemic of obesity
across most of the U.S., Europe, Australia and the Middle East. The
scale shows the percentage of each country's populations that is defined
as obese, with a Body Mass Index of over 30. The Pacific Islands, east
of Australia, are the countries with the largest percentage of their
population reported as obese. In American Samoa, three quarters of the
population is dangerously fat
Most of Africa and south Asia are
shown in turquoise, with low levels of obesity, while most of the U.S.,
Europe, Australia, the Middle East are shown in orange, indicating high
levels of obesity
Nauru
and the Cook Islands, also found in the South Pacific Ocean, come in
second and third places with 71 per cent and 63 per cent of the
population obese.
The
islands were colonised by Australian, American, New Zealand, British or
French nations after the Second World War, and the diets and social
changes introduced blamed for soaring obesity rates.
These colonising nations sought to ‘civilise’ the islanders and introduce ‘proper’ food habits, research has shown.
They encouraged dependency on imported food, meaning the local fishing and farming industries on the islands died out.
Traditional
foods of the islands such as fresh fish, meat and local fruits and
vegetables have been replaced by rice, sugar, flour, canned meats,
canned fruits and vegetables, soft drinks and beer.
Oxford
University researchers said these newly introduced foods are
‘energy-dense, nutrient poor’ products which have led to rising levels
of obesity.
These
Western foods also became a sign of social status among the islanders,
research published in the Journal of Development and Social
Transformation found.
Islanders were taught to fry their fish, rather than eat it raw as they had done before.
These social changes happened very quickly because of the islands being small and populated by close knit communities.
The Pacific Islands and Kuwait are top
of the global obesity scale. American Samoa tops the chart, with 75 per
cent of the population reported as obese. Nauru and the Cook Islands,
also found in the South Pacific Ocean, come in second and third places
with 71 per cent and 63 per cent of the population obese
One theory is that the Pacific
Islanders are genetically pre-disposed to become obese. However, Oxford
University researchers say food preparation and cooking habits brought
in by Western nations are to blame. The islands' farming and fishing
industries were destroyed and they began to rely on foreign imports of
foods like rice and sugar, they said
In the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, 33 per
cent of the population is obese, with the UK and Australia not far
behind with 27 per cent of the population dangerously fat. Nutritionists
warn obesity-related diseases like heart disease and diabetes are now
the world's biggest killers
The colonising nations also introduced mining, making land that had previously been used for food gathering infertile.
Pollution from colonial shipping also degraded reefs, which were formerly a rich food source.
Professor
Stanley Ulijaszek, of the University of Oxford, said: ‘Previous
attempts to explain the disproportionately high rates of obesity in
these and other island nations have tended to focus on the geographical
isolation of islands and the risk of food shortages.
'Theories
have suggested that islanders are genetically predisposed to putting on
weight, but we believe this does not explain why obesity has emerged so
rapidly on these islands.
'Interventions
that tap into the naturally occurring social networks on the islands
provide a new, and we believe more effective, way of tackling obesity.’
Bangladesh and Ethiopia came joint last on the list, with 1 per cent of people in these countries carrying too much weight.
Nepal, came second to bottom, with just over 1 per cent of the population reported to be obese.
In fact, the map reveals extremely low obesity rates over most of Africa and south Asia.
The UK has almost 27 per cent obesity
whereas France, Italy and Sweden fared considerably better with a less
than 10 per cent rate of obesity
In the U.S. a third of the population
is obese. Nutritionist Katrina Mather says highly processed, sugar-rich
convenience foods and drinks are to blame for high obesity, and the
chronic disease it causes. She says the levels of sugar consumed in
Western nations like the U.S. and Canada is 'frankly alarming'. She
said: 'Sugar is addictive, leading to food craving and overeating -
combined with the fact that highly processed foods are devoid of
nutrients and as a result don't satisfy hunger'
Experts
have said there are high levels of malnutrition in these areas of the
world, with some people struggling the calories needed to reach their
full physical potential.
Greg
Barrow, of the World Food Programme Office, explains: ‘From west
Africa, central Africa, to the horn of Africa to Asia, we see high
levels of under nutrition.'
‘In
Ethiopia, Bangladesh and Nepal in particular, large sectors of the
population struggle to have access to the calories they need.
'They also struggle to access the vitamins and minerals they need to reach their full physical and intellectual potential.
‘It’s
been recognised in studies, that the largest number of people
malnourished live in south Asia, and this graph is drawing on that.
‘They have rapidly growing population and the food demands are high.
‘The largest proportion of populations malnourished occurs in sub Saharan Africa.
‘These
are parts of the world where there are high levels of poverty. People
are unable to buy the most nutritious food for their families.
‘In
Ethiopia you have an economy based on subsistence farming - farmers
making enough food to feed themselves and their families.
There is a range of obesity rates
across central America. Panama (pictured in orange) has an obesity rate
of 25 per cent. Comparably, in Honduras (pictured in green), 18 per
cent of the population is obese
There is a range of obesity rates
across central America. Panama (pictured in orange) has an obesity rate
of 25 per cent. Comparably, in Honduras (pictured in green), 18 per
cent of the population is obese
Obesity rates across South America
also vary. In Argentina (pictured in orange), 30 per cent of the
population is obese, which is almost as high as rates in the U.S. and
Saudia Arabia. Brazil (pictured in green) has an obesity rate of 19 per
cent
'Climate change can make it difficult for farmers to feed their family and make a living from their produce at market.
‘But many of these countries have made great strides compared to where we were 20 years ago.'
The
map, created using data from the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency,
shows the global obesity crisis is still a growing issue, as every
continent faces a weight issue.
The
results show the rising epidemic of fatness across the globe, with high
levels of obesity across most of Europe, the Middle East and North
America.
In
the UK, more than 25 per cent of the population is reported as obese,
whereas France, Italy and Sweden fared considerably better, with an
obesity rate of less than 10 per cent.
In the U.S., 33 per cent of people are obese, while 27 per cent of Australians carry too much weight.
A person is considered obese if they have a Body Mass Index (BMI) is over 30, and severely obese if they have a BMI of over 40.
Nutritionist Katrina Mather said: 'Preventable chronic diseases, often linked to obesity, are now the world's biggest killers.
There are low levels of obesity
throughout most of Africa. Ethiopia (pictured in the east, in turquoise)
was the country with the lowest level of obesity, at just over one per
cent. Experts said there are high levels of poverty in Africa. People
are unable to access the calories they need to fulfil their physical and
intellectual potential, Greg Burrows, of the World Food Programme, said
'And
if you look at the countries where obesity and chronic disease have
their strongest hold and try to understand what has been done
differently in recent history - the common denominator is a massive
shift in what these nations eat and drink.
'My
research points the finger at highly processed, sugar-rich convenience
foods and drinks lying behind all forms of chronic disease and obesity.
'In
non-Western cultures, where traditional diets predominantly consist of
unprocessed foods and are low in sugar, it takes only one generation of
people eating a more typical Western diet, high in sugar and refined
flour, to become predisposed to obesity and develop diabetes.
This is true around the world from Inuit to isolated African communities.
'Considering
the time and effort it would take to yield just one teaspoon of sugar
from chewing on a sugar cane, highlights that the 'normal Western'
consumption of sugar in the form of sweets, convenience foods and soft
drinks, is frankly alarming.
'Sugar
is addictive, leading to food craving and overeating - combined with
the fact that highly processed foods are devoid of nutrients and as a
result don't satisfy hunger.
'So,
a vicious circle then develops, leading to a society that is over-fed
but under-nourished. Unfortunately no additional amount of the same food
will make up for the missing essential nutrients.
'And overeating leads to obesity whilst stressing the body, which in turn can lead to the onset of chronic disease.'
Similary, south Asia shows low levels
of obesity, compared with high levels in the Middle East and Australia
and New Zealand. In India, less than two per cent of the populaiton is
obese, whereas more than 33 per cent of the population in Egypt has a
BMI of over 30. South Asian countries have rising populations and high
demands for food, experts say, but much of the population still
struggles to access enough calories
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