GDP and Obesity

Female to male ratio of obesity correlates inversely with gross domestic product.
obesity correlates directly proportional to  gross domestic product.

The incessant drive of the mammalian body to obtain and store energy is likely the result of a period during evolution when food was scarce (Spiegelman and Flier, 2001). Clearly, one of the more important challenges of the current decade is to enhance our understanding of the basic mechanisms of energy homeostasis in order to gain a deeper insight into the factors that influence body weight.

Whole-Body Ablation of SRC-2 Results in Dietary Fat Malabsorption

One of the key survival strategies employed by organisms appears to be responding to cellular energy depletion by activating pathways that correct the depletion . Two ways to correct cellular energy depletion are deactivation of processes that consume ATP and activation of processes that produce ATP. An ancient energy sensor, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), appears to do just that, by deactivation of ATP consuming anabolic processes and activation of ATP-producing catabolic processes . Since exogenous fuel is essential for ATP synthesis, it is no surprise that AMPK also drives appetite . We show here that once the exogenous fuel is eaten, AMPK, via a previously unlinked systemic process, allows for optimal absorption of the most energy-rich fuel: dietary fat. AMPK activates the transcriptional coactivator SRC-2

Key facts

• Worldwide obesity has nearly tripled since 1975.
• In 2016, more than 1.9 billion adults, 18 years and older, were overweight. Of these over 650 million were obese.
• 39% of adults aged 18 years and over were overweight in 2016, and 13% were obese.
• Most of the world's population live in countries where overweight and obesity kills more people than underweight.
• 41 million children under the age of 5 were overweight or obese in 2016.
• Over 340 million children and adolescents aged 5-19 were overweight or obese in 2016.
• Obesity is preventable.

World Bank income group	Year	Overweight prevalence	Overweight numbers (in millions)
Global	2018	5.9 [5.0-6.8]	40.1 [34.0-46.1]
Global	2015	5.7 [5.0-6.5]	38.6 [33.5-43.6]
Global	2012	5.5 [4.9-6.2]	36.7 [32.5-40.9]
Global	2010	5.4 [4.8-6.0]	35.2 [31.5-39.0]
Global	2005	5.1 [4.6-5.6]	32.0 [28.8-35.2]
Global	2000	4.9 [4.4-5.5]	30.1 [26.6-33.6]
Global	1995	4.8 [4.2-5.5]	30.2 [26.0-34.4]
Global	1990	4.8 [4.0-5.5]	30.9 [26.0-35.8]
Low-income	2018	3.1 [2.4-4.0]	3.6 [2.8-4.7]
Low-income	2015	3.2 [2.5-4.1]	3.6 [2.8-4.5]
Low-income	2012	3.3 [2.6-4.2]	3.5 [2.8-4.4]
Low-income	2010	3.4 [2.7-4.3]	3.4 [2.7-4.4]
Low-income	2005	3.6 [2.8-4.6]	3.3 [2.6-4.2]
Low-income	2000	3.8 [2.9-4.9]	3.1 [2.4-4.0]
Low-income	1995	4.0 [3.0-5.4]	2.9 [2.1-3.9]
Low-income	1990	4.3 [3.0-5.9]	2.7 [1.9-3.8]
Lower-middle-income	2018	3.9 [2.4-6.3]	12.1 [7.4-19.7]
Lower-middle-income	2015	3.8 [2.5-5.7]	11.7 [7.8-17.5]
Lower-middle-income	2012	3.7 [2.6-5.1]	11.3 [8.1-15.6]
Lower-middle-income	2010	3.6 [2.7-4.8]	10.9 [8.2-14.6]
Lower-middle-income	2005	3.4 [2.7-4.4]	10.1 [7.9-12.9]
Lower-middle-income	2000	3.3 [2.4-4.5]	9.3 [6.8-12.8]
Lower-middle-income	1995	3.1 [2.0-4.9]	8.7 [5.5-13.6]
Lower-middle-income	1990	3.0 [1.6-5.4]	8.1 [4.4-14.7]
Upper-middle-income	2018	7.4 [6.3-8.6]	13.2 [11.3-15.4]
Upper-middle-income	2015	7.3 [6.3-8.3]	13.3 [11.5-15.2]
Upper-middle-income	2012	7.2 [6.4-8.1]	12.8 [11.3-14.4]
Upper-middle-income	2010	7.1 [6.4-7.9]	12.4 [11.2-13.8]
Upper-middle-income	2005	7.0 [6.4-7.6]	11.8 [10.9-12.8]
Upper-middle-income	2000	6.8 [6.4-7.3]	11.9 [11.1-12.7]
Upper-middle-income	1995	6.7 [6.2-7.2]	13.3 [12.4-14.3]
Upper-middle-income	1990	6.6 [6.0-7.2]	15.4 [14.0-16.9]
Low- and middle-income	2018	4.8 [3.7-5.8]	28.9 [22.6-35.3]
Low- and middle-income	2015	4.7 [3.9-5.6]	28.5 [23.4-33.6]
Low- and middle-income	2012	4.7 [4.0-5.4]	27.5 [23.5-31.6]
Low- and middle-income	2010	4.6 [4.0-5.2]	26.8 [23.3-30.3]
Low- and middle-income	2005	4.6 [4.0-5.1]	25.2 [22.4-28.0]
Low- and middle-income	2000	4.5 [3.9-5.1]	24.3 [21.1-27.5]
Low- and middle-income	1995	4.5 [3.8-5.3]	24.9 [20.7-29.0]
Low- and middle-income	1990	4.6 [3.7-5.5]	26.1 [21.0-31.3]
Middle-income	2018	5.2 [3.9-6.4]	25.3 [19.0-31.6]
Middle-income	2015	5.1 [4.0-6.1]	24.9 [19.9-30.0]
Middle-income	2012	5.0 [4.1-5.8]	24.0 [20.0-28.0]
Middle-income	2010	4.9 [4.2-5.6]	23.4 [20.0-26.8]
Middle-income	2005	4.7 [4.2-5.3]	21.9 [19.2-24.6]
Middle-income	2000	4.6 [4.0-5.3]	21.2 [18.1-24.3]
Middle-income	1995	4.6 [3.8-5.5]	22.0 [18.0-26.0]
Middle-income	1990	4.7 [3.6-5.7]	23.4 [18.3-28.5]
High-income	2018	7.2 [4.9-10.4]	5.0 [3.4-7.2]
High-income	2015	7.0 [4.9-9.9]	4.8 [3.4-6.9]
High-income	2012	6.7 [4.8-9.4]	4.8 [3.4-6.6]
High-income	2010	6.6 [4.7-9.1]	4.6 [3.3-6.4]
High-income	2005	6.2 [4.5-8.5]	4.3 [3.1-5.8]
High-income	2000	5.9 [4.3-7.9]	4.1 [3.0-5.5]
High-income	1995	5.5 [4.1-7.5]	4.0 [2.9-5.4]
High-income	1990	5.2 [3.8-7.2]	3.8 [2.8-5.2]