An epidemic much deadlier than HIV
Sep. 23rd, 2019 10:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nairiporterhttps://qz.com/africa/1194268/obesity-is-rising-rapidly-in-africa-say-scientists/
Until recently, Africa was considered a continent where many people are starving. This seems to be changing fast. In recent years, obesity has become a big challenge, particularly among people of mid and low income, especially in urban areas.
Obesity is a gateway to diabetes, cardio diseases, and cancer. Nearly half the countries with the fastest growing population also have a serious obesity problem. And most of them are in Africa.
Obesity kills more people worldwide than malnutrition, and in Africa, diseases caused by it put an extra pressure on the health care budgets. In 2018 The Lancet, a specialised medical magazine dedicated to diabetes and endocrinology, published a review about the steady tendency toward increasing spread of diabetes across Africa for the last 40 years. That rate has increased by 129% since the 80s:
http://www.gbchealth.org/the-heavy-burden-of-obesity-in-africa/
The food industry is largely responsible for this crisis. The growing middle class in many African countries prefers to buy processed foods that are rich in sugars and fats, rather than eating fresh products.
South Africa has shown one possible way of combating obesity by restricting the consumption of soft drinks. The government recently adopted legislation taxing products containing sweetening agents. However, this measure has had only a limited success in other countries.
The WTO now claims that over 2 billion people around the world are obese, out of them 650 million suffering acute obesity. And it urges the governments and the international community to take measures against this dangerous tendency, before it has gotten out of control. If the governments do play their role in prevention, the risk of diabetes and other dangerous diseases could be limited.
Until recently, Africa was considered a continent where many people are starving. This seems to be changing fast. In recent years, obesity has become a big challenge, particularly among people of mid and low income, especially in urban areas.
Obesity is a gateway to diabetes, cardio diseases, and cancer. Nearly half the countries with the fastest growing population also have a serious obesity problem. And most of them are in Africa.
Obesity kills more people worldwide than malnutrition, and in Africa, diseases caused by it put an extra pressure on the health care budgets. In 2018 The Lancet, a specialised medical magazine dedicated to diabetes and endocrinology, published a review about the steady tendency toward increasing spread of diabetes across Africa for the last 40 years. That rate has increased by 129% since the 80s:
http://www.gbchealth.org/the-heavy-burden-of-obesity-in-africa/
The food industry is largely responsible for this crisis. The growing middle class in many African countries prefers to buy processed foods that are rich in sugars and fats, rather than eating fresh products.
South Africa has shown one possible way of combating obesity by restricting the consumption of soft drinks. The government recently adopted legislation taxing products containing sweetening agents. However, this measure has had only a limited success in other countries.
The WTO now claims that over 2 billion people around the world are obese, out of them 650 million suffering acute obesity. And it urges the governments and the international community to take measures against this dangerous tendency, before it has gotten out of control. If the governments do play their role in prevention, the risk of diabetes and other dangerous diseases could be limited.
