US overtaken by Mexico and Arab states in having most obese people

The United States has been overtaken by Mexico as nation with most ponderous people according to U.N reports. The U.S dropped few places below Mexico and gulf rich states like Kuwait and Saudi.  

Increase in size is a characteristic of a well to do nation. As countries develop, one unfortunate side effect is that their people also tend grow fatter. Scientists proved that here is a correlation between a country’s income increase and animal protein consumption. This change is responsible for the uncontrolled fattening seen in most wealth countries. The US having the largest economy has been the champion in having obese folks for long till recently. The notion that overweight is a problem of high income countries is changing as now there is a dramatic rise of the problem in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in urban settings.

The U.N.’s latest figures have 42.8 percent of Kuwait's adult population obese. 35.2 percent in Saudi Arabia, and 33.1 percent in Qatar. That's compared with 31.8 percent in the U.S. And with Ramadan commencing and the associated fasting that comes with it, amazingly the problem is said to get worse. For instance, Qataris' grocery bills are said to double during Ramadan as people fast but then gorge during breakfast.

Qatar authority has decided to launch a campaign to get its people moving at least 10,000 steps a day in order to assuage the escalating problem. However, this measure is likely not to succeed because of the extremely hot outdoor weather in Qatar.

Overweight and obesity are defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation in the body. A crude population measure of obesity is the body mass index (BMI), a person’s weight (in kilograms) divided by the square of his or her height (in metres). A person with a BMI of 30 or more is generally considered obese while a person with a BMI equal to or more than 25 is considered overweight.

Overweight and obesity are linked with a number of chronic diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancer.