Mexico has Replaced US in Obesity Rates: Report

Mexico has now replaced the U.S. as the most obese country, according to media reports. Rising incomes and unhealthy lifestyles have led to many Mexicans becoming obese, even as half of the population in the country is undernourished.

The data on global obesity was released by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) , June. This report showed that obesity rate in the U.S. is about 31.8 percent while it is 32.8 percent in Mexico.

The condition has mostly affected people belonging to lower socio-economic status, CBS news reported. Obesity can raise risk of chronic conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke, arthritis and even some cancers.

"The same people who are malnourished are the ones who are becoming obese," said physician Abelardo Avila with Mexico's National Nutrition Institute, according to 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."

Nearly 70 percent of the Mexican population is overweight with many being obese. Diabetes affects one in six people, killing about 70,000 people a year, which is roughly equal to the number of people killed in gang wars, Global Post reports.

Globally, obesity has doubled since 1980s and about 65 percent of the world's population lives in countries where overweight kills more people than underweight, according to the World Health Organization. Energy-dense foods that raise the chances of obesity are also the ones that are poor in nutrients. Children are especially vulnerable to the side-effects of being on a high fat and sugar diet as they don't get adequate nutrients, yet have high weight causing additional problems. Mexico is just one of the many low, medium income countries that are facing the double whammy of obesity.

According to estimates by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a third of all people living in the U.S are obese. A previous report had shown that by 2030, the obesity rate in the U.S. would be 40 percent.