New research using WHO data says 1 in 8 people will have type 2 diabetes unless more countries take action Obesity is a global epidemic. That’s according to new research presented this week at the 2018 Congress on Obesity in Vienna, Austria. Nearly one-quarter (22%) of the people in the world will be obese by 2045, up from 14% in 2017, and one in eight will have type 2 diabetes, up from 9% in 2017, it concluded. Using a World Health Organization database and dividing each country’s population into age groups, the authors suggest that — in order to stabilize the rate of global diabetes at 10% — obesity rates must fall from the current level of 14% to 10% by 2045. “These numbers underline the staggering challenge the world will face,” said Alan Moses, chief medical officer worldwide at Novo Nordisk Research and Development NVO, -1.95% part of the Danish pharmaceutical company. This will put pressure on countries’ health systems, he said. The study was co-written by researchers from Novo Nordisk Research and Development in Søborg, Denmark; Novo Nordisk Health Advocacy in Bagsværd, Denmark; Steno Diabetes Centre in Gentofte, Denmark; and University College London in the U.K. “Individual countries must work on the best strategy for them,” Moses said. A separate study published last year in the New England Journal of Medicine estimated that 10% of the world’s population is currently obese, but that study found the rate of obesity doubled in 73 countries. Middle-aged people face greatest health risks Adult obesity exceeds 30% of the population in 20 U.S. states and surpassed 35% in three states — Arkansas (35.9%), West Virginia (35.7%) and Mississippi (35.5%). Also, 22 states have rates above 30%, 45 states are above 25%, and every state is above 20%. A body mass index of 25 to 29.9 is considered overweight and those with a BMI of 30 or more are considered obese; morbidly obese people have a BMI of 44.9 or more. Body mass index calculates weight, muscle, fat and bone in relation to height and gender. Obesity has serious health risks. People who gained a moderate amount of weight (5 to 22 pounds) before the age of 55 increased their risk of premature death and chronic diseases, according to a study released last year by researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “Our study is the first of its kind to systematically examine the association of weight gain from early to middle adulthood with major health risks later in life,” senior author Frank Hu, professor of nutrition and epidemiology and chair of the Department of Nutrition, said. Women gained an average of 22 pounds over this time, while men gained 19 pounds. Being overweight or obese is associated with a higher risk of dying prematurely than being a healthier weight — and the risk increases with additional pounds. Source
