The World Is Fat

A compelling look at the global trends that have led to today''s obesity crisis . The planet''s 1.6 billion overweight people by far outnumber the 700 million who are undernourished. This figure would have seemed ludicrous just fifty years ago. As a result of unprecedented trends in technology globalization government policy and the food industry that are changing how we eat drink and move we now live in a world populated by overweight people with debilitating health problems. . In this fascinating look at the striking changes in both our lifestyles and food system since World War II Barry Popkin shows how present options for eating and drinking- especially when combined with a dramatic reduction in physical activity-are clashing with millions of years of evolution to fatten the human race. Popkin argues that widespread obesity-and the chronic health problems that contribute to the bulk of deaths in the world-is less a result of poor dietary choices than about a hi-tech interconnected world in which governments and multinational corporations have extraordinary power to shape our everyday lives.