One in three low- and middle-income countries affected as junk food and sugary drinks reach every corner of globe
Sarah BoseleyLast modified on Mon 16 Dec 2019 10.53 GMT
Babies and children who have been stunted for lack of food are also in danger of obesity in poor countries, as junk food and sugary drinks reach every corner of the globe.
Experts warn of a double burden of malnutrition, with underweight and obese children living in the same communities and even within the same families. One in three low and middle-income countries are now affected, according to experts led by the World Health Organization.
The root of both problems is the same – a dearth of nutritious food. Some children have too little to eat; others have too many empty calories. The high fat, salt and sugar junk snacks of affluent countries are now available in almost every village worldwide and are becoming part of the staple diet of some of the poorest families.
A series of papers in the Lancet medical journal by experts including the WHO says more than a third of low- and middle-income countries are now affected by the double burden of malnutrition. The authors call for action to improve the food supply and protect children’s health.
“We are facing a new nutrition reality,” said the lead author of the report, Dr Francesco Branca, director of WHO’s department of nutrition for health and development. “We can no longer characterise countries as low-income and undernourished, or high-income and only concerned with obesity.
Malnutrition and obesity now a global problem, say experts | The Guardian
One in three low- and middle-income countries affected as junk food and sugary drinks reach every corner of globe Sarah BoseleyLast modified on Mon 16 Dec 2019 10.53 GMT Babies and children who have been stunted for lack of food are also in danger of obesity in poor countries, as junk food and sugary drinks… [Read More]
