Obesity Said Posing a Threat to Health of Developing Countries

Obesity is posing a threat to the health of developing countries, and especially to the children, according to researchers reporting at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting in Boston.

"We want to alert the science community that people are not immune to this epidemic just because they live in non-industrial or poor populations," said Marquisa La Velle of the University of Rhode Island. She is one of several researchers who discussed biological and cultural factors behind the growing problem of obesity around the world.

The developing world faces rapid shifts in urbanization, technology, food processing, and leisure time, all contributing to the rise of obesity, said Barry Popkin of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Popkin emphasized that developing countries still facing problems with under-nutrition should give "far greater emphasis" to the prevention of obesity-related diseases.

Childhood malnutrition and stunted growth can actually be found side-by-side with adult obesity in many places, reported William Leonard of Northwestern University who studies nutrition in Siberian populations.

"The cultural conditions for obesity are often already there in these populations, but something is stopping them from causing obesity in younger individuals," said La Velle. A significant disease factor may play a part in this effect, he added.

Other sources: American Association for the Advancement of Science