China houses the biggest obese population, says a study. (Photo : Getty Images)
China houses a huge chunk of the record-breaking obesity statistics as a study revealed that there are now more obese than underweight people on Earth.
Published in the Lancet Medical Journal, the new research cited by the Global Times states that China is home to a total of 89,600,000 obese people, 43,200,000 of which are male and 46,400,000 are female.
According to the research, these numbers not only put China in the top spot as a whole, but also named it home to the largest number of obese people in the world based on their gender.
To be specific, 16.3 percent and 12.4 percent of the world's total obese population for men and women are in China.
This, says the study's lead author Majid Ezzati, might result in immeasurable health consequences.
"Obesity and especially severe and morbid obesity, affect many organs and physiological processes. We can deal with some of these, like higher cholesterol or blood pressure, through medicines. But for many others, including diabetes, we don't have effective treatment," he explained.
According to another study published in the same journal, obesity can be prevented with smart food choices which can be imposed on people by the government through legislation.
"Prevention of obesity requires policies that work," the research summary declared.
The research also identified specific mechanisms through which food policies can affect diet, including providing an environment that encourages learning healthy food preferences.
The study also shows that lawmakers can develop policies that would break the barriers in people's expression of healthy preferences and ones that can encourage them to reassess their existing unhealthy habits even at the point-of-purchase.
"Policy assessments should be carefully designed on the basis of a theory of change, using indicators of progress along the various pathways toward the long-term goal of reducing obesity rates," it concluded.
