Why Does Obesity Spike With Wealth?
In a recent article published in the journal PNAS, researchers examined how economic development affects obesity by analyzing energy expenditure and weight indicators from more than 4000 people around the world. Their findings reveal that energy expenditure was higher in economically developed populations, primarily due to greater body size.
However, once they adjusted for body size, total and basal energy expenditure decreased slightly with development while activity energy expenditure remained unchanged, and did not align closely with lifestyle. In contrast, higher energy intake, particularly from ultraprocessed foods (UPFs), was strongly linked to obesity.
Background: Obesity is a growing global health crisis, contributing to over four million deaths annually. Its rapid rise is closely linked with economic development. In contrast to the rarity of obesity in pre-industrial societies and traditional communities, modern industrialized societies show high prevalence.
Excerpted from News Medical Life Sciences
