The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development
(OECD) says obesity levels are rising fast in developing countries and warns that countries should act now to head off their own obesity epidemic.
The Lancet medical journal says that the health consequences of wide scale obesity cannot be borne by low-income countries, such as those in sub-Saharan Africa.
South Africa is already above the OECD average.
It is generally assumed that obesity is a western epidemic but increase in "Western" lifestyles is paying off in most developing countries. They are catching up fast in terms of obesity rates.
Another report by the AP estimated than one-third of African women and a quarter of African men are overweight, and the World Health Organization predicts that will rise to 41 percent and 30 percent respectively in the next 10 years.
People are getting fatter in all parts of the world, with the possible exception of south and east Asia.The authors advise that countries act now to slow the increase, with campaigns promoting healthier lifestyles and tighter regulation of food advertising.
It's interesting that poverty and hunger now friends with obesity? It may be the type of food eaten over there and not the quantity. Most families dont have enough for eveyr body so eating too much is not the problem. Thye just need education to strip off the fat from meat which africans like very much