WHO: Number of people suffering from obesity has doubled since 1990

More than 1 billion people, or every eighth person on Earth, suffer from obesity, which has doubled since 1990. This is reported by the World Health Organization (WHO), making reference to a study, the results of which were published in the UK journal Lancet.

This study showed that in 2022, more than 1 billion people in the world lived with obesity, noted WHO, emphasizing that this is the every eighth inhabitant of the planet. Since 1990, the global prevalence of obesity has more than doubled among adults and quadrupled among children and adolescents (ages 5 to 19), the organization said, adding that by 2022, a total of 43 percent of adults were overweight.

WHO reminds that obesity can lead to cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and some types of cancer.

“This new study highlights the importance of preventing and managing obesity from early life to adulthood through diet, physical activity and adequate care, as needed,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of WHO.

Malnutrition, despite declining globally, remains a public health problem in many places, particularly in Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, according to the study. Combined malnutrition and obesity were particularly common in 2022 among the Pacific and Caribbean islanders, as well as among islanders in the Middle East and North Africa.

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