Rising obesity expected to hinder developing economies: report

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Obesity is expected to cost the global economy 3.3 percent of the GDP by 2060, slowing development in low-income countries and making it difficult for people to live healthy lives, as per a new study.

The peer-reviewed paper, published in BMJ Global Health, is the first to provide a country-by-country estimate of the economic costs of obesity, which is a major contributor to other noncommunicable diseases, most notably cancer, diabetes, as well as heart disease.

It also included projections for the number of people in each country who are overweight or obese, defined as having a body mass index of 25 or greater in adults and 30 in children.

In the same context, lead author Rachel Nugent told reporters at a briefing, on the margins of the UN General Assembly, that “globally, nearly two in three adults are now living with overweight and obesity. And we project that will be three in four adults by 2060."

Conditions currently cost 2.2 percent of global GDP, with the greatest increases expected in low-income countries.

In absolute terms, the United States, China, and India are expected to bear the greatest impact, costing the countries $10 trillion, $2.5 trillion, and $850 billion, respectively.

The report examined both direct costs, primarily medical fees, and indirect costs, which include premature mortality and lost productivity. Previous studies had only looked at the former.

Obesity jeopardizes people's health and will have drawbacks on the well-being of approximately 167 million people across the world by 2025, the World Health Organization has lately said.

The surging numbers in terms of obesity have also been contributing to more COVID-19 hospitalizations, as reported by the United Nations, as obese people are three times more likely to be hospitalized with the virus.