'Unparalleled threat' of death: Over 50 per cent of adults worldwide will be overweight by 2050

Over 50 per cent of adults and one-third of the children and young people across the world will be overweight or obese by 2050 - which will be an "unparalleled threat” of early death, a recent report said.

A failure to respond to the growing obesity crisis over the past three decades across the world has led to an increase in the number of people affected, as per the analysis published in the Lancet.

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The study showed that there are now 2.11 billion adults aged 25 or above and 493 million children and young people aged five to 24 who are overweight or obese. In 1990, the figures were 731 million and 198 million, respectively.

If no action is taken, more than half of those aged 25 or above worldwide and almost a third of all children and young people will be affected by the year 2050, the report claimed.

“The unprecedented global epidemic of overweight and obesity is a profound tragedy and a monumental societal failure,” said lead author Prof Emmanuela Gakidou, from the University of Washington, as quoted in a report in The Guradian.

Which countries will be affected?

As per the report, over half of the adults classified as overweight in the report live in just these eight countries:

China - 402 million
India - 180 million
US - 172 million
Brazil - 88 million
Russia - 71 million
Mexico - 58 million
Indonesia - 52 million
Egypt - 41 million

Another study also published on Monday, by the World Obesity Federation, warned against the impact of obesity in poorer countries.

“By far the greatest number of premature deaths attributable to high BMI are in lower- and upper-middle-income countries – indicating poor levels of treatment available,” its authors wrote.

(With inputs from agencies)