More People Are Too Fat Than Too Thin

For the first time in history the world population counts more overweight people than underweight people. While we became fatter, our life expectancy rose from 59 to 71 years. Even if fatter doesn't mean also healthier, it implies that fewer people are malnourished, drastically increasing longevity.

Researchers collected information about 19,2 million people from all over the world, originating from nearly 2.000 population-based measurement studies.

The ambitious study intended to underline the worrisome prospect of the increasing obesity rates worldwide, which threaten the human development. The research has shown that over 40 years we have transitioned from a world in which underweight prevalence was more than double that of obesity, to one in which more people are obese than underweight. Our bodies have difficulty taking care of themselves in a world of abundance.

Source: The Lancet. Image: Shutterstock