US lifestyles blamed for obesity epidemic sweeping Mexico

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US lifestyles blamed for obesity epidemic sweeping Mexico

Latin American countries succumb to fast food and sedentary behaviour

By Jo Tuckman in Mexico City The Guardian Monday, August 11, 2003

Squeezed behind the tiny wheel of his bright green Volkswagen Beetle, Ignacio Montealegre gazed down
at his protruding belly and succumbed to a moment of nostalgia. "I used to be slim, but then I got
married and had to work so hard I stopped playing football and got fat," the 16-and-a-half stone
(105kg) taxi driver explained. "At the end of the day I go home, eat and go to sleep in front of the
television."

Mr Montealegre is a man of his time. He is also a testament to a big new health challenge facing his
country even as malnutrition still haunts its poverty- stricken countryside, particularly in
indigenous communities.

Usually associated with the developed world, obesity is now an epidemic sweeping much of Latin
America, with Mexico among the worst affected, along with Chile and Peru.

A recently released national survey by the health ministry classified 28% of adult Mexican women as
obese, with another 36% overweight. Just under 19% of Mexican men are obese and another 41%
overweight. The figures confirm the shock sprung two years ago by a groundbreaking study revealing a
158% increase in obesity over a decade, prompting disbelief among many scientists.

Not any more. Now the consensus is that Mexico's combination of junk food, rapid urbanisation and
genetic traits mean obesity rates have overtaken Europe's fattest country, Britain, where around 22%
of adults are obese. More worryingly it is catching up with the US where adult obesity tops 30%.

Experts say the health problems of traditional Mexican fare have been vastly exacerbated by the
invasion of relatively inexpensive industrially produced food. American fast food restaurants became
fixtures in the 1990s, and today it is often easier to find a bag of crisps than a banana even in
the remotest jungle village.

Household expenditure on fruit and vegetables fell by over a quarter between 1986 and 1998, while
over a third more was spent on soft drinks.

Urbanisation has only made things worse. Those who can afford cars would rather wait in valet-
parking queues outside restaurants than leave their vehicle a block away and walk. The majority,
obliged to take public transport, often demand that buses drop them off at their own street corner.

Meanwhile, slouching in front of the telly now dominates leisure time in part because the open
spaces where local football teams once played have disappeared under urban sprawl. Only 13% of
Mexicans say they play sport.

Whatever the root causes, nutritionists warn that Mexico is settling into the established trend
where obesity is primarily associated with the least fortunate. "That is the tendency," says a
government nutritionist, Simon Barquera. "That is where we are headed."

Talk about it Why is Britain so overweight? http://talk.guardian.co.uk/WebX?50@@.ee9b9c9/0

Are you obese? Calculate your ideal weight http://www.guardian.co.uk/graphic/0,5812,627167,00.html

Useful links

NHS Direct: obesity http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/nhsdoheso/display.asp?sTopic=Obesity

Department of Health http://www.doh.gov.uk (http://www.doh.gov.uk/)

Association for the study of obesity http://www.aso.org.uk (http://www.aso.org.uk/)

Read the complete news at:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/food/Story/0,2763,1016230,00.html

Jai Maharaj http://www.mantra.com/jai Om Shanti

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