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Health

Obesity epidemic 'engulfing the entire world'

6 September 2006

“THIS insidious, creeping pandemic of obesity is now engulfing the entire world. It’s as big a threat as global warming and bird flu.” This warning came from Paul Zimmet during his opening address at the 10th International Congress on Obesity in Sydney on Sunday, according to a report by the Associated Press.

Zimmet, an expert on diabetes at Monash University in Australia, said that overweight people now outnumber the undernourished. The World Health Organization’s estimates agree: globally, there are one billion overweight adults, and 300 million of them are obese; in contrast, about 800 million do not have enough…

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