"western diet" news and stories

A nutrition study conducted by Barry Popkin, of the Department of Nutrition and Economics at the University of North Carolina, has determined that the number of overweight or obese people in the world outnumber the starving, with approximately 800 million starving/near starving and 1.3 billion overweight people. Popkin has also followed the lives of more than 15,000 people in China for the past 17 years, noting that none of them were obese when his study started, but nearly 25% are now. Using this as a baseline for other countries, Popkin points a finger at a "considerable" drop in the consumption of cereals (grains) and an increase in the consumption of fats, what he calls a "classic Westernization pattern".

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Just as in so many other places around the world, obesity is on the rise in Japan. While some nutritionists are advocating that people follow a Japanese diet to lose weight, many in Japan are eating more foods more of the time, including traditional foods in addition to junk foods. 24% of Japanese over the age of 15 are overweight or obese and the number is rising. The same pattern can be seen in children, where 10% are obese or at risk for becoming obese. Children are more likely than their parents and grandparents to indulge in a diet of hamburgers and french fries on a regular basis, though the highest obesity statistics are seen among middle-aged men.

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