Mexico takes title of Most Obese from United States

Credit: Luis Acosta
AFP/Getty Images

Well, after years of unchallenged dominance, America has finally lost a competition it would probably prefer not to have won in the first place.

Mexico has overtaken the United States as the Most Obese Nation in the Americas, reports Global Post.

The North American nation has a 32.8 percent adult obesity rate, just barely inching past the 31.8 percent obesity rate in the United States, according to a study released by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization. Ultimately, this makes Mexico the most obese nation in the hemisphere, as well as one of the fattest countries on the planet, although several Pacific Island countries and territories have even higher rates of obesity, such as Nauru (71.1 percent), the Cook Islands (64.1 percent) and the Marshall Islands (46.5 percent).

The obesity epidemic has been a bane to the population of Mexico, reaching the status of a full-on public health crisis as more and more adults continue to die from diabetes and heart disease. Much like in the United States, the problem is the result of poor eating habits perpetuated by low income status.

?The same people who are malnourished are the ones who are becoming obese,? physician Abelardo Avila with Mexico?s National Nutrition Institute told CBS News. ?In the poor classes we have obese parents and malnourished children. The worst thing is the children are becoming programmed for obesity. It?s a very serious epidemic.?

With more than 50% of the nation reported to be living below the line of poverty, experts fear Mexico?s obesity epidemic may get worse before it gets better. With the United States only mere percentage points from reclaiming the title, the same could, unfortunately, be said for Mexico?s northern neighbor.

Source: http://www.rickey.org/mexico-takes-title-of-most-obese-from-united-states/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=mexico-takes-title-of-most-obese-from-united-states

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