Produced by: Mohsin Shaikh
For the first time in history, more children are obese than underweight. UNICEF calls it a “global nutrition crossover” — a milestone that reframes malnutrition in the modern era.
From sodas to instant noodles, ultra-processed foods are engineered to be cheap, addictive, and everywhere. One NIH trial showed they made people eat 500 extra calories a day without realizing it.
Eighty percent of teens worldwide don’t meet even an hour of daily exercise. The screen-heavy lifestyle is amplifying the health risks of today’s industrial diets.
In the Pacific Islands, one in three kids is obese. In South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, underweight still dominates. The world isn’t facing one nutrition problem — but all of them, at once.
Chile slapped warning labels on junk food. Mexico banned it from schools. Both saw measurable drops in sugary drink sales. Experts say these bold policies are working where lectures failed.
By 2035, obesity and overweight are projected to drain over $4 trillion annually — about 3 percent of the world’s GDP. For health systems, it’s a slow-motion financial wreck.
What counts as “ultra-processed”? Some researchers lump Oreos with tofu and soup made from bouillon cubes. Critics say the category is messy — but the health harms are hard to deny.
There’s one bright spot: underweight cases have fallen. Fewer kids face stunted growth, weak immunity, or early death. But this progress risks being overshadowed by the obesity explosion.
From cartoon ads to school sponsorships, Big Food spends billions marketing to children. Nutrition scholars warn these tactics hook kids early, shaping lifelong eating habits that fuel obesity rates.
AI Generated