How many people suffer from obesity? For the first time, Russia was included in the ranking of the “fattest countries.” What are the most common health consequences of being overweight and obese?

Although obesity in itself is not a specific disease, it becomes a breeding ground for several diseases and health conditions. Obesity is diagnosed when a person's body mass index is greater than 30. Each year, approximately 3.4 million adults die due to excess weight. The rise in obesity around the world is gradual, although persistent.

According to a 2014 study, the number of obese people worldwide reaches one billion. That is, twice as much as it was 20 years ago.

Correlation of economics and obesity

The countries with the most obesity are not necessarily the richest or most developed.

For example, the US and UK rank 12th and 27th in the CIA's World Factbook list.

This fact suggests that there is no direct connection between obesity and the economic status of a country. In fact, smaller countries like Nowra, Marshall Islands, Kuwait, Samoa, Palau, etc. made up the top 10.

Food shortages and rising food prices are also responsible for obesity in underdeveloped countries such as Venezuela, where people find it difficult to eat a balanced and healthy diet, according to findings from the World Health Organization.

They try to fill their diet with empty calories, junk food, or fried foods.

Obesity among adults in America

Although the United States is not the most obese country in the world, it still continues to lead such lists.

At the same time, most of the other countries that appeared at the top of the list have a small territory and are sparsely populated.

Mexico and the United States continue to top the list of countries with the highest numbers of obese people in North America. In the United States, 35% of adults are obese.

Nearly 78 million adults and 13 million children in the United States face the health and emotional consequences of obesity every day.

According to the CDC, a middle-aged adult is now 30 pounds heavier than in the 1950s.

The main causes of obesity in Mexico are the availability of processed foods that contain many calories, as well as the lack of nutrition education among the population.

Here, 27.6% of the country's population suffers from obesity. These problems began in the 1980s, when vegetables and whole grains began to be replaced by processed foods.

Over the past 5 years, Mexico has been taking steps to reduce obesity rates.

Rating of countries that have problems with obesity

As stated above, this list is led by the small nations of the Pacific Islands, such as Samoa, Tonga and Kiribati.

About four out of five citizens of these countries are obese or overweight.

The reason is that these island countries import almost all their food and therefore food prices are very high. On the other hand, fast food chains offer cheaper and more convenient options.

Not far from these countries are Middle Eastern countries such as Kuwait, Qatar, Libya, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

Fat people here make up 75% of the population, and more than a third are obese.

The reasons for this situation are, on the one hand, the hot climate, which is not conducive to natural exercise (such as walking, for example).

On the other hand, fast food restaurants have become increasingly popular here in recent years. In addition, traditionally people eat from large communal plates, which makes it difficult to monitor portion sizes.

The African continent does not have major problems with obesity, with the possible exception of South Africa. Now this country is trying to lead a Western lifestyle, which has a bad effect on the weight of its population.

Age and gender

In countries such as the UK, US, Australia and Canada, obesity is almost 25% prevalent in men aged 18 and over.

In Southeast Asia, Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean, obesity is almost twice as common in women.

Research shows that economic and social factors play a role in this situation.

In war-torn countries such as Syria, women are forced to stay at home all the time and have no opportunities for sports or outdoor activities.

In 2013, 42 million children under 5 years of age were reported to be obese.

The good news is that problems associated with excess weight are reversible. Today, the world is taking the problem of obesity seriously and is striving to create a program to control and prevent this trend.

Americans have lost their leadership in the ranking of the most complete nations. Now the first place in the list of “fattest countries” is occupied by Mexico (32.8% of obese people), whose residents abuse fast food and soda. The Daily Mail reports this.

Americans take second place in the ranking. In terms of the number of obese people in the country, they lag behind Mexico by only 1%. In third place are the residents of Syria. Venezuela and Libya took fourth place. The top five fattest countries is rounded out by Trinidad and Tobago.

For the first time, Russia was included in the rating. The Russians, together with the British, share 19th place on the “fat list”. In Russia, 24.9% of the population suffers from obesity, the prevalence of overweight/obesity is 46.5% among men and 51.7% among women.

1. Mexico - 32.8 percent

2. USA - 31.8 percent

3. Syria - 31.6 percent

4. Venezuela, Libya - 30.8 percent

5. Trinidad and Tobago - 30.0 percent

6. Vanuatu - 29.8 percent

7. Iraq, Argentina - 29.4 percent

8. Türkiye - 29.3 percent

9. Chile - 29.1 percent

10. Czech Republic - 28.7 percent

11. Lebanon - 28.2 percent

12. New Zealand, Slovenia - 27.0 percent

13. El Salvador - 26.9 percent

14. Malta - 26.6 percent

15. Panama, Antigua - 25.8 percent

16. Israel - 25.5 percent

17. Australia, St. Vincent - 25.1 percent

18. Dominican Republic - 25.0 percent

19. Great Britain, Russia - 24.9 percent

20. Hungary - 24.8 percent

Mexicans are getting fat fast

Mexico has a shameful first place in the ranking of “fattest countries”. According to the UN, 70% of Mexican adults are overweight, and a third of them are obese, which leads to a number of serious health problems: heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, kidney failure, liver disease, depression.

Experts attribute the “obesity epidemic” to sedentary work, daily consumption of popular tacos, tamales, quesadillas and American fast food in Mexico.

People most affected by obesity in Mexico are poor and young people who do not eat a balanced diet, preferring fast food.

Experts estimate that in Mexico, four out of five children will remain overweight for the rest of their lives.

"The worst thing is that children are being programmed to become obese," says Abelarto Avila of Mexico's National Institute of Nutrition.

WHO data on global obesity

The World Health Organization estimates that approximately 1.5 billion people worldwide are overweight and 350 million are obese.

The problem of obesity is relevant even in countries where a large part of the population is constantly hungry, and in industrialized countries it has long been a serious aspect of public health.

This problem affects all segments of the population, regardless of social and professional affiliation, age, place of residence and gender. Thus, in Western European countries, from 10 to 20% of men and from 20 to 25% of women are overweight. In some regions of Eastern Europe, the proportion of people suffering from obesity has reached 35%. In Japan, representatives of the Society for the Study of Obesity admitted that the problem of obesity in the country is becoming a tsunami, threatening the health of the nation.

Obesity in children and adolescents is on the rise worldwide.

The main cause of obesity and overweight is an energy imbalance between calories entering the body and calories expended. On a global scale, the following is happening: an increase in the consumption of high-calorie foods that are high in fat, salt and sugars, but low in vitamins, minerals and other micronutrients; decreased physical activity due to the increasingly sedentary nature of many activities, changes in modes of transportation and increasing urbanization.

Changes in dietary and physical activity patterns often occur due to environmental and social changes associated with development and in the absence of enabling policies in sectors such as health, agriculture, transport, urban planning, environmental protection, food processing, distribution, marketing and education.

Obesity and related diseases are becoming a major economic burden on society. In developed countries of the world, 8-10% of the annual funds allocated for healthcare are spent on their treatment. This costs the American budget $70 billion annually, while in the UK the costs are about 12 million pounds sterling.

Data

Since 1980, the number of obese people worldwide has more than doubled.

In 2008, 35% of people aged 20 years and older were overweight, and 11% were obese.

65% of the world's population lives in countries where overweight and obesity kill more people than underweight.

In 2010, more than 40 million children under age 5 were overweight.

Overweight and obesity are the fifth leading risk factors for death worldwide. At least 2.8 million adults die each year as a result of being overweight and obese. In addition, overweight and obesity are responsible for 44% of diabetes cases, 23% of coronary heart disease cases and 7% to 41% of some cancers.

Over 33 years, the number of fat people has increased 2.5 times

It would seem that a country that has always passed the GTO standards and was proud of ballet and sporting achievements will never be affected by this misfortune. We looked condescendingly at obese Americans and pitied these unfortunate people who could hardly move under the unbearable weight of their own bodies.

However, now it’s time to feel sorry for ourselves - Russia has rapidly risen to fourth place in the world in terms of the number of obese people. After the USA, China and India.

However, as Marina Shestakova, corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, notes, if we count not by the absolute number, but by the level of obesity prevalence, we are still only in 19th place. Still, experts call the situation extremely alarming.

Fast food, physical inactivity, ecology - there are many reasons for the rapid increase in the number of obese people. Several centuries ago, a person had to honestly earn his piece of bread through backbreaking physical labor. Today, both bread and meat can be delivered directly to your home. We began to eat much more and move much less. To maintain life, we need 1200-1400 kcal per day, and we eat, as a rule, an average of 2500 kcal. It's no surprise that the global obesity epidemic is growing like a snowball. The results of a large-scale international study that lasted 33 years and involved 188 countries were recently summed up. During this time, the number of obese people increased by 2.5 times. But what worries experts most is the increase in overweight children. “A completely new problem has appeared, which did not exist at all 10-15 years ago - obesity and type II diabetes mellitus in children,” says Marina Shestakova. “We are now diagnosing diabetes in ten-year-old children.”

Today, the most recognized criterion for obesity in the world is the body mass index (BMI), which is calculated using a simple formula: weight divided by height squared. The gold standard is considered to be a BMI of up to 25 (but not less than 18.8!). A BMI from 25 to 30 indicates excess weight, and above 30 indicates different degrees of obesity (30-40 is stage 1, more than 40 is morbid obesity).

“However, today Americans propose to revise this classification and diagnose obesity not by BMI, but by the totality of complications in an overweight person,” continues Professor Shestakova.

Obese people have many health problems. The main one is diabetes. By the way, that same study also showed an increase in the number of patients with type II diabetes by the same 2.5 times. It has been proven that an increase in BMI by just 1 unit (that is, weight by only 2.5-3 kg) increases the risk of diabetes by 12%. The next problem for overweight people is a whole range of cardiovascular diseases. This is followed by cancer of various organs, primarily the stomach and intestines. Behind them are joint diseases. We must not forget about fatty liver, which is also directly related to extra pounds. Obesity is the cause of 30% of cases of cholelithiasis and 75% of cases of hepatic steatosis. And don’t forget about pathologies of the kidneys, reproductive system, thrombosis and even skin diseases (obesity reduces immunity). For example, in 2 million women, infertility is caused by obesity.

“Today, the World Health Organization defines obesity as a chronic disease that leads to the development of concomitant somatic diseases,” notes Professor of the Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Propaedeutics of Internal Diseases of the First Moscow State Medical University. Sechenova Marina Zhuravleva.

Of course, the main cause of obesity is overeating. Most often, from childhood, overweight parents teach their children “not to go hungry” by serving them heaped plates. “Such children repeat the lifestyle of their parents and have the same problems in the future,” sighs Marina Shestakova. More often, socially disadvantaged segments of the population suffer from the problem of excess weight - after all, the cheapest food is also the most high-calorie. In addition, there are more obese people in cities - according to one study, for example, Moscow ranked first among 15 regions of the country in terms of obesity prevalence. Well, the most dangerous age in terms of the development of obesity is 29-49 years. Just at this time, people achieve certain successes in their careers, switch to cars, and sit in offices.

In the United States, they have already taken radical measures - compulsory health insurance for residents has included operations to install special cylinders in the stomach, which, simply put, do not allow a person to overeat. In our country, such methods are treated with caution and are used only in cases of serious indications. As for the treatment of obesity, approaches to each patient should be purely individual.

— It all depends on the severity of the problem. Homeopathy will help some, while others will need serious drug treatment - appetite suppressants. However, patients need to understand when they should see a doctor. I believe that the alarm should be sounded already when your BMI has reached the upper limit of normal. Obesity starts at 29.9, and you need to act if your BMI exceeds 25, says Marina Zhuravleva.

At the same time, as experts note, such people require consultations with several specialists: a therapist, a neurologist, an endocrinologist, a cardiologist, and sometimes a psychiatrist. “It is important that the doctor who is approached by an obese patient, even for a runny nose, sends him for examination regarding excess weight. But we don’t have this culture yet,” Shestakova complains.

Professor Zhuravleva provides eloquent figures showing how much money our country loses due to those who eat too much. Thus, GDP losses from cardiovascular diseases over the past 10 years amounted to 8.2 trillion rubles. At the same time, 18% of men and 28% of women developed heart disease solely due to excess weight. The country spends 71 ​​billion rubles a year on the treatment of strokes, and of this, 10.5 billion on the treatment of strokes caused by excess weight problems. “Every seventh person could avoid getting sick if they watched their figure,” says Marina Zhuravleva. Losses from myocardial infarction are estimated in the country at 36 billion rubles annually; losses from heart attacks caused by excess weight - 12.8 billion. “This money would be better spent on fighting obesity,” Zhuravleva sighs. The situation with diabetes is even worse, the treatment of which costs 407 billion, of which 306.8 billion is spent on cases associated with obesity. Recently, a social program “Slim Russia” was even launched in Russia.

Doctors remind us of the need for proper nutrition and the importance of movement. For example, just 6 hours of immobility per day (for example, sitting at a computer) triples the risk of diabetes! The risk of diabetes and obesity increases 3.5 times in children who drink only 200 ml of sweet soda per day!

The easiest way to increase physical activity is to walk briskly for at least 20 minutes every day. In general, try to move at every opportunity. As for nutrition, preference should be given to fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as fish and lean meat. It would be good to exclude butter, mayonnaise, fried foods, pork and other fatty foods altogether. In addition, reduce your salt intake and drink alcoholic drinks in moderation - they are not only high in calories (each gram of alcohol contains 7 kilocalories), but also increase your appetite.

However, doctors also do not advise taking the fight against weight to the point of absurdity. “For example, in older people, an increase in BMI to 25-27 is an absolutely normal phenomenon, which even protects against the development of diseases,” says Marina Shestakova.

The fight against obesity costs the world's population $2 trillion annually.

Every third Russian of working age has problems with excess weight. 15% of men and 28.5% of women are obese, 54% of men and 59% of women are overweight.

Obesity (painful, excessive obesity) is a chronic disease that occurs due to metabolic disorders in the body. The disease leads to an excessive increase in the mass and thickness of adipose tissue. The problem of excessive obesity for humanity is very serious, since too much weight causes disruption of the functions of the circulatory, respiratory, urinary systems, provokes pain in the back, lower back, and various hormonal disorders.As obesity statistics show, not only overweight people suffer from the problem of excess weight, but also those around them.

Causes of the disease

The main cause of the disease is an unbalanced and high-calorie lifestyle, a sedentary lifestyle, and a genetic predisposition to obesity. The main indicator by which the diagnosis is made is the value of the body mass index.

The index (abbreviated BMI) is calculated as the ratio of body weight (kg) to height squared (m):

• BMI = Weight/(Height) 2 .

With an index of 25 to 29.9, the body is overweight. At 30 and above, obesity sets in.

Obesity statistics indicate a significant increase in the number of people (often called obese) suffering from this disease.

Global obesity crisis

Official obesity statistics in the world include about 1.9 billion overweight people. Of these, more than 640 million are excessively complete. According to WHO (World Health Organization), the highest percentage of obesity is observed among citizens of the following countries:

1. Qatar.
2. Mexico.
3. Bahrain.
4. Syria.
5. Libya.
6. Venezuela.
7. Trinidad and Tobago.
8. Slovenia.
9. New Zealand.

In these states, obesity statistics range from 27 to 33.5% of the country's population. Among the countries where a relatively small number of people are diagnosed with obesity, world statistics highlight:

1. Japan – 3.7%.
2. Korea – 5.3%.
3. Italy – 9.8%.

The situation with overweight among minors has recently become negative. As of 2016, more than 42 million children under the age of 15 were overweight.

Child obesity statistics by country (including overweight adolescents) as a share of total children under 15 years of age:

1. USA – 31%.
2. Canada – 24.5%.
3. Greece – 21.5%.
4. Iceland – 18.0%
5. Slovenia – 17.0%
6. Israel – 17.0%
7. Finland – 17.0%
8. China – 17.0%

According to statistics, such a high percentage of childhood obesity is explained by the low mobility of adolescents due to their passion for computer games and frequent snacking on high-calorie fast food. In America, in primary and secondary schools, the number of overweight and obese people reaches 25%, and in China, every 6 boys and 11 girls are susceptible to morbid obesity.

Obesity in the USA

The problem of obese people has long become a very serious threat to the gene pool of future generations. According to statistics, more than 68 million people live in the United States with a diagnosis of obesity. Of these, 32 million are men and 36 million are women. 65 million are overweight. Of these, 36 million are men and 29 million are women. This situation is associated with the calorie-rich food consumed by Americans, sedentary sedentary work, and a genetic predisposition to obesity.

Every year, the number of overweight and obese Americans increases by 1.1–2 million. At this rate of growth, the number of people diagnosed with obesity in America by 2030 will be more than 80 million people. The largest number of overweight and obese people is observed in Mississippi, the smallest in Colorado.

Recently, the problem of excess weight among Russians has become on par with many serious diseases. Official obesity statistics in Russia already amount to 24.9% of the country's total. Obesity in the Russian Federation is progressing due to lack of physical activity and unbalanced high-calorie diet. Most problematic areas:

1. Kaluzhskaya – 33%.
2. Moscow - 30%.
3. Nizhny Novgorod - 28%.
4. Krasnodar Territory – 27%.
5. Altai Territory – 27%.

Among the regions where the level of obese people is below 20% are:

1. Republic of Udmurtia – 12%
2. Primorsky Territory - 17%.
3. Krasnoyarsk Territory – 17%.
4. Orenburg region – 17%.
5. Kabardino-Balkaria – 19%.

Along with the increase in the number of obese people among the adult population, the statistics of obesity in children in Russia is also beginning to increase. About 12% of children and adolescents are overweight, and 5% already suffer from morbid obesity. The main reasons are unhealthy and high-calorie diets, violation of the rest regime, and artificial overfeeding by parents.

Due to the negative effect of excess weight on the cardiovascular system, atherosclerosis and obesity in Russia are associated with each other. The increase in the number of obese people has influenced the more frequent occurrence of both atherosclerosis and other diseases of the heart and other organs.

The situation with obesity in the CIS countries

In the post-Soviet space, the situation with obesity in adults and children is gradually becoming alarming. Obesity statistics in different countries are sometimes scary. For example, in Tajikistan the mark reaches 9.2%, and in Lithuania 23.7%. Judging by countries, an unfavorable situation is also observed in Ukraine. An analysis of the statistics of obese people shows that 20.1% of the country's population suffers from excessive obesity.

Of the countries in the Caucasus region, the largest number of obese people was noted in Kazakhstan. According to official data, about 4.23 million people or 23.5% of the country's population are diagnosed with obesity in Kazakhstan. The ranking of countries in the world with the highest levels of obesity is presented in the table:

Conclusion

According to WHO experts, obesity statistics will continue to grow rapidly in the future. In the near future, the number of overweight people on the planet is expected to increase to 2.4 billion, and with obesity syndrome - to 800 million people.