Ranking of countries by fat people. These countries are the most obese

The Ministry of Health of Russia has developed a "Strategy for the formation of a healthy lifestyle of the population, the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases for the period until 2025", according to which it is planned to reduce the total mortality from cardiovascular, oncological, chronic bronchopulmonary diseases and diabetes by a quarter. A large place in the document is occupied by the problem of obesity and related issues of healthy nutrition. Professor Oksana Drapkina, First Deputy Director for Science of the State Research Center for Preventive Medicine of the Ministry of Health of Russia, told RG about whether it is possible to stop the obesity epidemic.

Oksana Mikhailovna, why is science increasingly calling obesity one of the causes of premature death?

Oksana Drapkina: Obesity has indeed become one of the most formidable non-communicable pandemics of the 21st century, affecting people regardless of their age, place of residence and income. Obesity figures are steadily rising worldwide, doubling between 1980 and 2014. About two billion people over the age of 18 were overweight in 2014, and 600 million of them were obese. There is no doubt that today these figures are even higher. Previously, the problem was typical only for developed countries, but now statistics are growing rapidly in developing and even poor countries. Such causes of death as cardiovascular and oncological diseases, diabetes mellitus, osteoarthritis, chronic kidney disease are directly related to obesity - this has been irrefutably proven. So far, many countries have underestimated the fact that the rise in obesity may negate any economic and organizational efforts to increase life expectancy.

And what does this problem look like in our country?

Oksana Drapkina: We have known about the rise in obesity for a long time, but there were no accurate statistics before. And by 2015, the ESSE-RF study was conducted - we studied the prevalence of various obesity factors in 12 regions, more than 19 thousand people participated in the study. And now it is reliably known that about 30 percent of Russians are overweight, about 10 percent are obese. This is directly related to the increase in cardiovascular diseases, many types of cancer, diabetes, infertility, erectile dysfunction in men, etc. For example, every extra 4 kilograms of weight add 4 units of upper arterial pressure, which increases the risk of vascular accidents such as myocardial infarction and cerebral stroke.

But obesity can also be different, as experts say. There are more dangerous and less - is it true?

Oksana Drapkina: In principle, any obesity is a health risk. But it really is divided into two types - metabolically unfavorable and metabolically neutral, although not all doctors agree with this. The worst prognostic is obesity in the form of an apple, that is, when fat is deposited mainly on the waist and abdomen. Obesity according to the female type - in the form of a pear - is considered less dangerous.

Causes of death such as cardiovascular and oncological diseases, chronic kidney disease are directly related to obesity.

It was said before that obesity is more common and occurs among women. And now?

Oksana Drapkina: The ESSE-RF study revealed an alarming trend. When we compared the data from 1993 and 2013, it turned out that both women and men became more obese. For 10 years, obesity among women has increased, but only by 3 percent, but among men it has jumped more than 3 times: from 8.7% to 26.7%. But we know that the overall mortality rates in our country are high precisely at the expense of men. Now in the Russian population at the age of 35-44 years, 26.6 percent of men and 24.5 percent of women are obese, at the age of 45-54 years - 31.7 percent of men and 40.9 percent of women, at the age of 55-64 years - 35.7 and 52.1 percent of men and women, respectively.

Unfortunately, a disturbing trend is already noted in the school years. According to the Research Institute of Hygiene and Health Protection of Children and Adolescents of the Ministry of Health of Russia, the prevalence of overweight among Moscow schoolchildren from the 1980s to the beginning of 2000 increased on average from 6.6 to 11.5 percent. But in 2014, the prevalence of overweight among boys aged 17 was 13.8 percent, among girls of the same age - 10.1 percent. Unfortunately, up to half of these children will retain the disease as adults.

What indicators of weight science today considers normal?

Oksana Drapkina: Two main indicators are accepted in the world - body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) - for both women and men. BMI is calculated by the formula: body weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters. A BMI of 20 to 25 is normal, 25 to 29.9 is overweight, and over 30 is obese. No less important indicator is the waist size. But if seven years ago the norm for women was considered to be 88 centimeters, and for men - 102, now the requirements have been tightened: 80 cm for women and 94 for men. Anything more is a sign of being overweight.

What determines the rapid growth of the problem in developed countries?

Oksana Drapkina: Obesity is always an imbalance between what the body receives and what it gives. There are usually two causes of obesity: malnutrition and lack of physical activity, movement. The diet of citizens today is dominated by industrial processing products, with an excess of salt, fat, sugar, and various chemical food additives. This food is refined, high-calorie, concentrated, with a lack of useful ingredients, such as dietary fiber. Of great importance is the wrong diet - the lack of breakfast, a full meal, instead of which many are limited to various snacks during the day. But not healthy, but the so-called snacks and sweets, again with an excess of fat, salt and sugar.

But today, nutritionists say that if you want to lose weight, then you need to eat at least 6 times a day, and three meals should be the main ones, and three more - just snacks. Is there a contradiction here?

Oksana Drapkina: Snacks really should be, you can’t feel hungry if you want to lose weight or not gain weight. But these should be healthy snacks - an unsweetened fruit or vegetable, a few nuts, a cereal loaf, a sour-milk product without sugar and other additives. Why can't you starve? We all come from antiquity. Our ancestors ate differently than we do. If they found any food, then they ate for the future, because their periods of abundance alternated with periods of hunger. This diet is the basis of the insulin resistance syndrome. When the human body experiences hunger, it stores energy for the future, that is, it stores it in the form of fat, and does not consume it. And when we give him something little by little all the time, he does not starve, and then energy can not be stored.

Oksana Drapkina: Of course, it is better that such recommendations are given individually to each person by a doctor. In their most general form, they are as follows: it is important that with 5-6 meals a day, portions are small, no more than 250-300 grams per meal. Recommended three main meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) and several snacks. You can drink a glass of water 15-20 minutes before a meal, which will help reduce your appetite and, consequently, the portion size. Breakfast is considered to be the most important meal of the day. For breakfast, cereals are best - porridge or muesli; as a source of protein, you can eat cottage cheese or an egg. By the way, the myth about the harmfulness of eggs is now completely dispelled. You can afford a sandwich with a small piece of cheese, but sausages and pates are not recommended. Porridge is better not semolina, but oatmeal, buckwheat, millet, etc. Cereals provide a large energy reserve, so you should not use them as a side dish for lunch or dinner. After breakfast, you need to get up from the table with the feeling that you are full. Then you will have lunch at a normal time, and you will not be tempted to snack on something unhealthy like cookies or candy. As snacks, you can take with you a vegetable salad, an apple, crispbread, low-fat kefir. Losing weight should not be an end in itself, but it is important to remember that being overweight is always unhealthy.

It is no secret that obesity is the scourge of the modern world: in some countries, the percentage of people suffering from overweight problems reaches a critical point. Unfortunately, the list of 20 such countries also includes Russia - our country occupies 19th place. We bring to your attention a selection of five countries in the world whose citizens are obese, compiled on the basis of a report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

1. Mexico - 32.8%

Residents of Mexico suffer from obesity more than residents of any other country in the world: according to statistics, one in six Mexican adults is overweight, and as a result, many people have diabetes.

A total of 80 million Mexicans are overweight, and a third of them are morbidly obese. Surprisingly, over the past 25 years, the number of obese citizens in Mexico has grown seven times - until recently, such a critical situation was not observed.

It is also surprising that part of the country's population suffers from a lack of food, while the rest of the Mexicans are mostly sedentary and abuse fast food and carbonated drinks with a high sugar content. The worst thing is that children from this problem, it seems, can not be protected in any way - four out of five children begin to gain weight at an early age and risk remaining full for the rest of their lives.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon announced the launch of a national program to combat obesity: he believes that such measures are necessary to improve the health of the nation as a whole, since excess weight means an increase in diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

The program includes promoting a healthy lifestyle, exercising daily, replacing high-calorie foods with vegetables and fruits - time will tell how effective it will be, but so far the number of obese Mexicans is growing rapidly.

2. USA - 31.8%

One in three US residents suffer from obesity: The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that between 1970 and 2000, residents began to consume several times more fast food and lemonade than in the middle of the last century.

As a result, 40% of young people and 25% of girls are not fit to serve in the army due to health problems. Even about half of domestic cats in the US are prone to obesity.

On the streets of American cities, you can often see a person with a height of 175 cm, whose weight is about 250 kg: the largest number of overweight people live in the state of Mississippi, many of them are children under the age of 14 years.

There are many reasons for this situation: we note that many Americans regularly eat at fast food restaurants that sell high-calorie, but cheap food. Now a hamburger at McDonald's weighs 250 g, while 50 years ago its weight did not exceed 60 g.

Moreover, researchers at Princeton University have put forward the theory that frequent consumption of fast food is addictive, similar to addiction to drugs or smoking.

The economic side of the issue is also important: airlines, for example, suffer huge losses associated with excess fuel costs, and company employees often miss work due to health problems. Severe obesity has an impact on performance as well - on average, obese Americans work less efficiently than their fellow citizens with normal weight.

3. Syria - 31.6%

Syria ranks third in the UN obesity ranking - according to the latest data, about a third of the population suffers from obesity, but still the percentage is slightly less than in the previous two countries. The reasons are the same - a sedentary lifestyle and the abuse of fast food.

Most of the inhabitants do not burden themselves with hard physical work, in addition, a very small number of Syrians go in for sports. All these factors have led to an increase in the number of overweight citizens, and every year this number is steadily growing.

4. Venezuela and Libya - 30.8%

Venezuelans say that food is an integral part of their culture: traditional Venezuelan cuisine is rich in "heavy" dishes, and in recent years, a lot of fast food restaurants have opened in this country, which, like in many other countries of the world, has led to an increase in the number of full people.

65% of the country's population is overweight, and more than 30% are obese: obesity-related cardiovascular diseases are one of the main causes of death among the population, and many people die before the age of 60 years.

A similar situation is observed in Libya - an abundance of low-quality food leads to obesity, which in turn indirectly causes early mortality.

5. Trinidad and Tobago - 30%

The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago completes the top five most "fat" countries in the world: a third of the population suffers from obesity, and approximately 70% of residents are overweight.

Since tourism in Trinidad and Tobago is developing intensively, many eateries appear where not only tourists, but also residents of the country eat - food in such establishments, of course, cannot always be called healthy. The traditional cuisine of the country is rich in pasta dishes, and spicy curry sauce is extremely popular.

Many residents are employed in the tourism sector, where sedentary work is common: in combination with the country's cuisine, this leads to the problems described above. Currently, the authorities do not offer any special program to address this issue, but perhaps in the near future, measures will be taken.

Obesity is a problem that affects the population of all states that exist in the world. They hurt both adults and children. The number of overweight people is growing every year, so experts consider pathology a real problem in modern society. What does the statistics of obesity in the world show?

Adults are most often obese, especially those over the age of 40.

Medical statistics read as follows:

1. Over the past 35 years, the number of overweight patients has doubled, and over the past 10 years - by 75%. Back in 2003, statistics indicated that approximately 1.7 billion adults were obese, and in 2014 this figure increased to 1.9 billion.
2. The death of a patient from complications of overweight occurs earlier by an average of 10 years than a healthy person.
3. Increasing incidence is observed in many countries of the world. There are especially many patients in America, Germany, Canada, Mexico, Russia. By country, obesity occupies a leading position in the United States.

Analyzing statistics, experts say that by 2025, almost 50% of women and 40% of men in the world will need medical care due to excess body weight.

World childhood obesity statistics

Underage children are also often obese and the number of cases is growing every year.

The statistics say the following:

1. The incidence rate among children in the 21st century has increased 10 times compared to the last millennium.
2. Among the sick are about 5 million children, whose age does not reach 5 years.
3. America also leads in the incidence of obesity among children. In this country, every fifth child suffers from this pathology.

The reason for the increase in excess body weight in minors is most often snacking, passion for fast food, prolonged sitting in a sitting position due to the presence of a computer.

Obesity problem in the USA

America is the leader in the number of obese patients, and has been for a long time. The number of sick people is growing every year. There are currently over 68 million obese and nearly as many overweight people in the United States. Most of them are women.

Experts attribute the problem of obesity in the United States to the fact that the inhabitants of this country are very fond of eating food rich in calories.

At the same time, they mainly lead a sedentary lifestyle, have a sedentary job. Many of the patients have a genetic predisposition to weight gain.

The growth rate of patients in the United States is quite fast. Experts believe that by 2030 the number of patients will be already 80 million.

Obesity in Russia

In Russia, the situation with obesity, fortunately, is much better than in America. But still, the increase in patients is observed annually. According to official statistics, 24.9% of the total population of the Russian state suffers from this pathology.

Doctors believe that the main culprits of weight gain are factors such as malnutrition and lack of exercise. Hormonal disorders and genetic predisposition also play an important role in the occurrence of obesity.

On the territory of the Russian Federation, both adults and children suffer from obesity. Approximately 12% of minors are overweight, and 5% directly obese. The reason for this is often non-compliance with the diet, sleep disturbance.

Obesity in the population of the CIS countries

The states belonging to the CIS also face the problem of obesity. Somewhere less, somewhere more, but in every country there are patients with such a diagnosis.

The statistics in the following countries acquire a threatening character:

1. Tajikistan - 9.2% of patients.
2. Lithuania - 23.7%.
3. Ukraine - 20.1%.
4. Kazakhstan - 23.5%.

Of the CIS countries with obesity, Kazakhstan occupies a leading position.

Why is obesity considered the epidemic of the 21st century?

Doctors are sounding the alarm about such frightening statistics on the incidence of obesity, because this disease poses a threat to human life. Excess body weight negatively affects the functioning of internal organs.

Extra pounds adversely affect the state of the circulatory system, increasing blood clotting.

This leads to the formation of blood clots, which can subsequently break off and clog the vascular lumens, which in turn leads to a heart attack and stroke.

The liver is also often affected. This is a vital organ, the violation of which negatively affects the state of the body. With obesity, fatty hepatosis often develops, which can cause death.

In addition to these complications, the development of cardiac pathologies, sexual dysfunction, infertility, diabetes mellitus and many other diseases is possible.

Thus, the problem of obesity exists in all countries of the world. At the same time, it does not matter at all whether the state is successful economically, whether the living conditions of the population are comfortable, or whether the level of medical care is high.

The development of the disease can be prevented, but people do not want to think about prevention, which turns into serious health problems.

A significant decrease in the number of obese patients occurred in six regions. In North Ossetia, the proportion of the population with this diagnosis has decreased by 46.6% over the year, now it is less than 4.5 thousand people. In the Stavropol Territory, there were 4.5 thousand (18%) fewer obese patients.

In Moscow, there are 66.3 thousand obese patients, or 0.5% of the population. This indicator is lower only in Primorsky Krai: there, obesity was diagnosed in 0.4% of residents.

childhood obesity

In the Jewish Autonomous Region, more than half of all obese patients are children and adolescents (from 0 to 17 years old). The share of minors among all those suffering from obesity in the region in 2017 exceeded 64%. In another 14 regions, children and adolescents accounted for more than a third of all patients with obesity, an analysis of RBC showed. Among them are North Ossetia, Bashkortostan, Kaluga region, Perm region, Bryansk region, Tuva, Ulyanovsk region, Volgograd region and Crimea.

In two regions - the Republic of Altai and the Ulyanovsk region - more than 3% of all children and adolescents were diagnosed with obesity. The proportion of obese children in the Altai Republic has increased by 3.5 times per year, in the Ulyanovsk region - twice, and most of the patients are children under 14 years old. According to the Ministry of Health, every 14th teenager aged 15-17 in the Ulyanovsk region is obese. In St. Petersburg, every 15th teenager from this age group suffers from obesity. The number of obese patients under the age of 18 also increased dramatically in Kabardino-Balkaria, from 373 in 2016 to 2082 in 2017, which is 1% of children.

Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor of the Research Institute of Nutrition of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences Alla Pogozheva believes that the increase in the incidence of obesity among children in Russia is due to the fact that "they are fed by parents who themselves are obese." According to Pogozheva, it is parents who form children's addiction to unhealthy food and overeating.

In order to improve the health of the child and adult population, prevent non-communicable diseases and conditions caused by a lack of "micronutrients", the Ministry of Health approved the "Recommendations on rational norms for the consumption of food products that meet modern requirements for a healthy diet", RBC was told in the press service of the department.

All-Russian problem

The proportion of Russian residents diagnosed with obesity increased by 6% from 2016 to 2017, to 1.3% of the population (1.9 million people). Among children and adolescents under 18 years of age in Russia as a whole, the increase in the number of obese people was 5.3% - at the end of 2017 there were almost 451 thousand people. Over the past five years, the proportion of Russians suffering from obesity has increased by 30%.

The press service of the Ministry of Health reported that in reality the situation could be much worse. “There is a study (“Epidemiology of cardiovascular diseases in various regions of Russia”. — RBC), held on a specified topic every five years. So, as of 2013, the prevalence of obesity among men aged 25 to 64 years was 26.9%, among women aged 25 to 64 years was 30.8%," the ministry said.

The number of obese men in Russia tripled by 2013 compared to 2003, Oksana Drapkina, director of the Federal State Budgetary Institution “State Research Center for Preventive Medicine” of the Ministry of Health, in April 2018, based on data from the same study.

A year ago, the government approved the “Formation of a healthy lifestyle” project to combat obesity and other factors that reduce the health of the population, the ministry recalled.

One of the main reasons for the increase in the number of Russians diagnosed with obesity is the lack of systematic education in healthy eating, Viktor Tutelyan, scientific director of the Federal State Budgetary Institution Federal Research Center for Nutrition and Biotechnology, chief nutritionist of the Russian Ministry of Health, explained to RBC. “A woman has not yet become pregnant, but she should already know all the basics of healthy nutrition for her unborn child. Eating habits are formed by grandmothers, grandfathers, mothers, fathers. A little something - they give sweets so that the child does not cry, ”he said.

The problem of obesity in the world

According to the World Health Organization for 2016, about 39% of the adult population of the planet is overweight (body mass index - BMI - greater than or equal to 25). This is 1.9 billion people, of which over 650 million are obese (body mass index greater than or equal to 30). At the same time, WHO experts note that in the world more people die from the consequences of overweight and obesity than from the consequences of abnormally low body weight.

On the first lines in the ranking of countries in terms of the proportion of the population suffering from obesity, there are the island states of the Pacific Ocean. Among the main reasons for this state of affairs are the genetic predisposition of the local population, the rejection of local food in favor of cheaper, but less healthy imported products, and a decrease in physical activity.

Of the large countries in the lead (11th in the world) in terms of the number of obese adults, the United States (37.3%). Russia ranks 55th in the ranking (25.7%).

According to Tutelyan, healthy eating and physical activity are two factors that can improve the situation with obesity and related diseases: “A person must understand that if he ate two cakes, it takes two hours to walk or run for an hour to spend energy.”

In reality, the number of people with obesity is many times greater than follows from the data of the Ministry of Health, Olga Grigoryan, a leading researcher at the Federal Research Center for Nutrition and Biotechnology (formerly the Institute of Nutrition of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences), is sure. “In Russia, every third person is overweight, and every fourth, that is, 20-25%, suffers from obesity. These are statistics from the Nutrition Center. If only 1.3% of all Russians in the country suffered from such a problem, we would be out of work, ”she told RBC.

According to Grigoryan, the increase in the number of obese people is also due to the fact that patients began to visit a doctor more often. “Some people catch on earlier and go to the doctors,” she said. The expert points out that, in general, the diagnosis of "obesity" is made very rarely - both in the regions and in Moscow. “There are already complications from obesity. Hypertension, diabetes mellitus, arthrosis - all that is a consequence, ”she concluded.

When is obesity diagnosed?

Doctors distinguish four degrees of obesity. If necessary, you can find out the stage of the disease using body mass index. To calculate BMI, you divide your weight in kilograms by the square of your height in meters. For example, with a weight of 55 kg and a height of 1.65 m, the BMI will be 20.2.

With obesity of the first degree, the excess of normal body weight is 10-30%. For women, this corresponds to a BMI of 28-31, for men - a BMI of 30-32. Obesity of the second degree is an excess of normal body weight by 30-49% (BMI for women is 31-34.5, for men - 32.3-37.2). The third degree is an excess of normal weight by 50-99%. BMI of women - 35.5-47.3, men - 37.7-49.7. With obesity of the fourth degree, normal weight is exceeded by 100%. In women, in this case, the BMI is more than 47, and in men - more than 49.

Incredible Facts

According to the data World Health Organization(WHO) Approximately 1.5 billion people are overweight every year, and by 2015 this number will increase to 2.3 billion.

Obesity and overweight are major risk factors for chronic diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.

1. American Samoa - 93.5%

The dramatic rise in obesity in Samoa and other South Pacific nations is largely attributed to massive imports of cheap, processed foods from the US, instead of lighter traditional foods such as bananas, coconuts, yams, taro root and fish.

According to Center for Behavioral Medicine and Sports Psychology, since 1964, imports of high-fat foreign foods have increased by more than 700 percent. The rise in obesity has caused a health crisis with more strokes, diabetes and heart disease.

2. Kiribati, 81.5%

Just as happened to their neighbors in the South Pacific, the islands of Kiribati are flooded with high-fat processed foods that are significantly cheaper than local products. At the same time, there is a shortage of fruits and vegetables in the country.

3. USA, 66.7%

The country where fast food was practically invented is the nation with the highest rate of obesity among the developed nations in the world. According to Center for Disease Control and Prevention With 72.5 million obese adults in the US in 2007-2008, obesity-related diseases accounted for 27 percent of the increase in medical costs.

Americans suffer from a high number of diseases such as coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, type 2 diabetes, certain types of cancer and premature death. In the US, obesity is closely linked to poverty, where poor people and ethnic minorities suffer the highest levels of obesity.

4. Germany, 66.5%

Germany may be among the richest and most powerful countries in Europe, but people's love of beer and fatty foods, as well as lack of physical activity, have led to high levels of obesity.

In this regard, things have gone so badly in Germany that a study in the country found that in some areas, including security and emergency care, there is a severe shortage of labor, as not enough people are in shape to do their jobs. german newspaper Bild estimated that the annual cost of treating diseases associated with obesity is about 21.7 billion.

5. Egypt, 66%

Apparently, not many overweight Egyptians have participated in political protests, but the country has a horrendous obesity problem, especially among women, as a result of taboos placed on women's physical activity.

Egyptian culture revolves around food, and a lot of it, and the main part of it includes starchy and fatty foods, especially for the poor. But obesity does not make class distinctions. The poor class eat a lot of carbohydrates, including bread, pasta, and rice, while the privileged class consume too much meat, sweets, and junk food.

6. Bosnia-Herzegovina, 62.9%

One theory claims that unhealthy foods, especially those rich in fat, sugar and additives, are becoming more common during and after the wars that ravaged the Balkan countries in the early 1990s. This problem is especially acute among children, and not only in Bosnia, but also in other countries of this region of Europe.

7. New Zealand, 62.7%

While this problem has much more affected the indigenous Maori people, who, like other peoples living in the Pacific Islands, preferred Western fast food to local traditional eating habits, obesity is beginning to spread among white New Zealanders.

In 2006, the government launched a campaign to reduce childhood obesity by cutting back on fatty foods and sugary drinks in school cafeterias and limiting junk food advertisements on television.

8. Israel, 61.9%

Despite Israel being considered part of a Mediterranean culture that favors light salads and olive oil, obesity rates here have tripled in the past three decades.

As in much of the Western world, Israelis are increasingly consuming fast food and leading a sedentary lifestyle. Traditional grocery stores have been replaced by huge supermarkets selling processed foods, and vending machines with unhealthy snacks are now in almost every school. In a country where safety comes first, obesity can have a devastating effect.

9. Croatia, 61.4%

As in Bosnia, cheaper processed foods have become the norm in Croatia, replacing traditional healthy foods. Cardiovascular disease has become the leading cause of death among Croats. Given that the average Croatian eats about 2,700 calories a day, 700 calories more than the recommended amount, last year the Ministry of Health decided to label healthy foods in stores and eliminate unhealthy food from vending machines by 2012.

10. UK 61%

Obesity in the UK follows much the same pattern as in America: sedentary lifestyles and dependence on processed foods. According to the latest study published in European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, more people in the UK die of obesity than anywhere else in Europe. One in 11 deaths in the UK is attributable to obesity, 50 percent more than in France.