"Obesity has outpaced undernourishment to become the leading form of malnutrition worldwide for the first time among children and teenagers, according to UNICEF. The United Nations children's agency stated in a report released on Tuesday that nearly one in 10 children aged five to 19 is living with the chronic disease. The epidemic is being fuelled by easy availability of ultra-processed foods even in countries still grappling with child undernutrition and aggressive marketing."
"Ultra-processed food is increasingly replacing fruits, vegetables and protein at a time when nutrition plays a critical role in children's growth, cognitive development and mental health. For the first time, obesity has surpassed underweight among school-age children and adolescents globally, reveals UNICEF's latest report. The fight to reduce world hunger is bearing fruit in some areas, with the prevalence of underweight youths on a downward trend, falling from 13 percent to 10 percent between 2000 and 2022 among five- to 19-year-olds,"
Obesity has become the leading form of malnutrition among children and adolescents worldwide, with nearly one in 10 aged five to 19 living with the chronic disease. Easy availability of ultra-processed foods and aggressive marketing are driving the epidemic, even in countries still facing undernutrition. Ultra-processed products are increasingly replacing fruits, vegetables and protein during critical periods for growth, cognitive development and mental health. Underweight prevalence among five- to 19-year-olds fell from 13 percent to 10 percent between 2000 and 2022. Overweight numbers more than doubled from 194 million to 391 million, while obesity rose from 3 percent to 8 percent (163 million).
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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