Rich Diseases in Poor Countries Non-communicable diseases used to be a rich-world problem. At that time, people in poor count

Rich Diseases in Poor Countries
   Non-communicable diseases used to be a rich-world problem. At that time, people in poor countries were too hungry and hardworking to be obese, could not afford cigarettes and mostly died before the ailments of ripe middle age kicked in. Not any more. Affluence and urbanization mean new kinds of unhealthy lifestyles. Developing countries already bear more than 80% of the burden of chronic illnesses. Their share will grow—at a time when older diseases are still ravaging the poor. In India over two-fifths of children under five are malnourished, yet obesity is mushrooming. Over the past two decades, the percentage of urbanization has increased dramatically: among the total world population by 4% , and even more so in East Asia and the Pacific, by 8%. Increased urbanization is often Linked with the adoption of habits and lifestyles that tend to be hazardous to health including high fat and energy diets and sedentary lifestyles at the expense of traditional social and cultural habits. In comparison, physical activity appears to be declining due to modernization, and changes in occupational behaviors. Accordingly, there will be a considerable increase in overweight and obesity. Today, more than a billion adults are overweight, of which 300 million are clinically obese. Given that obesity and dietary habits represents potential risk factors for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), type-2 diabetes and some types of cancer in absence of physical activity, it is non-surprising that the epidemic of overweight and obesity will be paralleled by the global epidemic of type-2 diabetes and consequently CVDs and cancer particularly in developing countries.