Obesity 101

We all know how crappy our food is thanks to companies like Nestle, McDonalds and Burger King, among significant others, but us rubes tend not to know the catastrophic impact to developing countries when these same entities peddle their questionable wares in relentless pursuit of profit no matter what the cost may be.

A New York Times examination of corporate records, epidemiological studies and government reports — as well as interviews with scores of nutritionists and health experts around the world — reveals a sea change in the way food is produced, distributed and advertised across much of the globe. The shift, many public health experts say, is contributing to a new epidemic of diabetes and heart disease, chronic illnesses that are fed by soaring rates of obesity in places that struggled with hunger and malnutrition just a generation ago.

The new reality is captured by a single, stark fact: Across the world, more people are now obese than underweight. At the same time, scientists say, the growing availability of high-calorie, nutrient-poor foods is generating a new type of malnutrition, one in which a growing number of people are both overweight and undernourished.

It's all about the money. - Robert E.