68.5 Million People in 195 Countries are FAT

According to an interview in The Guardian, more than 2 billion people across the globe are now overweight. “Excess body weight is one of the most challenging public health problems of our time, affecting nearly one in three people,” study author Ashkan Afshin tells the publication. After analyzing data compiled on 68.5 million people in 195 countries, a 2,300-member research team found that obesity rates have doubled since 1980 in 73 countries. 

Today, according to Newsweek, 10 percent of all people globally are considered obese — meaning  that their body mass index (BMI), a height-weight ratio, is 30 or above. Here in the United States, that includes nearly 13 percent of children , up from 5 percent 37 years ago. 

Even when people are overweight (with a BMI between 25 and 29), but not officially obese, says researcher Azeem Majeed, that’s still associated with heart disease, cancer and other chronic health issues. “The risk of death and diseases increases as your weight increases,” he notes. 

It’s time to look at our communications, because it's clear, with all the research and knowledge we have, that we still haven’t figured out how to communicate that effectively. Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move Program was a great step forward, and actually showed decreases in obesity and increases in fitness and scholastic achievements throughout communities across the country. Those programs have now been rolled back, so it's more important than ever for our supermarkets and their retail dietitians to step up and do all we can to ensure that within the next generation, we can reverse obesity and get back in shape.