More one billion people in the world are obeseThe condition is associated with an increased risk of numerous serious health problems, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) and an international team of researchers.

Obesity is so common that in most countries, including many low- and middle-income countries that previously struggled with undernutrition, it has become more common than underweight.

“A staggering number of people are living with obesity,” said Majid Ezzati, lead author of the paper published in the journal. Lancet on Thursday and a professor at Imperial College London.

The results, considered among the most authoritative independent estimates, are based on data from more than 220 million people in more than 190 countries.

Obesity is most common in rich countries

While obesity rates have stagnated in many rich countries, they are rising rapidly in others, Ezzati added.

And although underweight is becoming less common around the world, it remains a serious problem in many countries, resulting in more countries facing what is known as “double burden” of malnutrition.

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Obesity is a global problem

“We used to think obesity was a problem for the rich. Obesity is a global problem,” Francesco Branca, head of WHO nutrition, said at a press conference.

Adult obesity rates have more than doubled between 1990 and 2022, and four times higher among children and adolescents aged 5 to 19 years.According to the document.

Over the same period, the proportion of girls, boys and adults who were underweight fell by a fifth, a third and a half respectively, according to the analysis.

Ezzati called rising obesity rates among children “very alarming,” reflecting a trend seen among adults even before 1990.

Hundreds of millions of people in the world still have nothing to eat

At the same time, he said, hundreds of millions of people still do not have enough food.

Very low weight can be very harmful to children’s development, and in its most extreme form the condition can cause people to die of hunger.

People with obesity are also at risk of premature death and disability due to the association with early onset diabetes mellitus, heart and kidney diseases and a number of other serious diseases.

The increase in the double burden has been greatest in some low- and middle-income countries, including parts of the Caribbean and the Middle East.