76% of world's population 'overfat'
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Melbourne
PTI
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About 5.5 billion people
-up to 76% of the world's population -are `overfat', warn researchers.
They said that the new pandemic had overtaken the planet and argued for a
change in global health efforts against chronic and metabolic diseases.
The researchers, including
those from Auckland University of Technology , have put forth a specific
notion of overfat, a condition of having sufficient excess body fat to
impair health. They argued that how, in addition to those who were
overweight and obese, others falling into the overfat category included
normal weight people. “The overfat pandemic has not spared those who
exercise or even compete in sports,“ said lead author of the study Phi
lip Maffetone, CEO of MAFF Fitness Pty Ltd. “The overfat category
includes normal weight people with increased risk factors for chronic
disease, such as high abdominal fat, and those with characteristics of a
condition called normal-weight metabolic obesity,“ said Maffetone.
“We want to bring awareness of the rise in these risk factors, where the terms `overfat' and `underfat' describe new body composition states,“ said Maffetone. The study in Frontiers in Public Health also found out that 9 to 10% of the population may be underfat. “While we think of the condition of underfat as being due to starvation, those numbers are dropping rapidly . However, an ageing population, an increase in chronic disease and a rising number of excessive exercisers or those with anorexia athletica are adding to the number of non-starving underfat individuals.“
This leaves as little as 14% of the world's population with normal body-fat percentage. While it is estimated that up to 49% of the world's population, or 3.5 billion people, are obese or overweight, the well-documented obesity epidemic may merely be the tip of the overfat iceberg.
“We want to bring awareness of the rise in these risk factors, where the terms `overfat' and `underfat' describe new body composition states,“ said Maffetone. The study in Frontiers in Public Health also found out that 9 to 10% of the population may be underfat. “While we think of the condition of underfat as being due to starvation, those numbers are dropping rapidly . However, an ageing population, an increase in chronic disease and a rising number of excessive exercisers or those with anorexia athletica are adding to the number of non-starving underfat individuals.“
This leaves as little as 14% of the world's population with normal body-fat percentage. While it is estimated that up to 49% of the world's population, or 3.5 billion people, are obese or overweight, the well-documented obesity epidemic may merely be the tip of the overfat iceberg.
Source: Times of India, 6-01-2017
