What is Causing the Worldwide Rise in Body Weight?

Abstract

For several decades human body weight has been increasing worldwide to a point where the prevalence of overweight and obese adults and children has been described as epidemic or even pandemic. [1][2][3][4][5][6] The statistics are alarming:in 2005 1.6 billion people worldwide were overweight and 400 million people were obese (one in ten adults). This is predicted to rise to 2.3 billion overweight and 700 million obese in 2015. 7,8 The prevalence of overweight people and obesity is highest in the US, Mexico, and parts of Europe (38-70 % overweight) but is lower in South America and Asia (10-20 % overweight), although those regions are also showing increases. 9,10 Obesity is associated with increased risk for a variety non-communicable diseases including coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer, although this association becomes much weaker when physical fitness or accurately measured physical activity (PA) are taken into account in the analyses. 11 Predictions show that body weight increase is set to continue in coming years in most countries worldwide, presenting a major public health challenge. 9,10Despite the long-accepted trend in increasing body weight, there is less agreement among experts on the factors that are causing it. Some argue that changes in diet, particularly western fast foods with high caloric content, are to blame and assert that people are eating more than they need to maintain their weight; however, there have been few well-conducted studies that support this hypothesis. Others argue that modern lifestyles involving substantially decreased levels of PA in both work and during leisure time lead to a positive energy balance, and this results in greater fat AbstractThe worldwide rise in body weight has reached epidemic proportions and this has serious public health consequences. Despite the universal recognition of this problem, its causes are still debated: some attribute it to excess caloric intake; others blame a lack of physical activity (PA); some implicate specific changes to micro-and macro-nutrients. During the past century, government health agencies have developed guidance on healthy eating. These, along with advances in agriculture and food manufacturing, have largely eliminated nutrient deficiencies and helped reduce the consumption of fat. Over the past 60 years, however, technological advances and shifts in the types of occupations prominent in industrialized as well as developing countries have resulted in well-documented decreases in energy expenditure. Energy intake must be balanced with energy expenditure in order to prevent weight gain, and there is increasing evidence that this balance must be at a relatively high level of energy flux. A program that was started in São Paulo in 1996 known as 'Agita' has sought to motivate populations to engage in small amounts of physical exercise daily to tackle growing obesity levels. This multi-agency initiative is one example of how to successfully increase exercise within a community and scale both within (e.g. all states in...

Effects of Saponins on Lipid Metabolism: A Review of Potential Health Benefits in the Treatment of Obesity

“…The prevalence of overweight and obese people is extremely high in parts of Europe, the U.S. and Mexico. However, a rising obesity incidence was observed also in regions such as South America and Asia, where the incidence is still low [2]. Referring to this global phenomenon, a new word, “globesity”, has been coined [3].…”