Credit: Screenshot of BBC News[/caption]
New research reported by BBC News says global weight gain is more of an environmental threat than increased population.
In their report, the researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine calculate the weight of the global population at 287 million tonnes. They estimate that 15 million tonnes of this mass is due to people being overweight, and 3.5 million tonnes due to obesity.
Using World Health Organization data from 2005, the scientists worked out that the average global body weight was 62kg (137lb). But there were huge regional differences. In North America, the average was 80.7kg (178lb), while in Asia it was 57.7kg (127lb).
While Asia accounts for 61% of the global population, it only accounts for 13% of the weight of the world due to obesity.
Now available on BBC’s website is a BMI calculator designed to compare your weight on a global fat scale, with the BMI averages of countries around the world. Check it out, you might be surprised where you land.