The prevalence of obesity among adults in Brazil more than tripled from 1990 to 2023. The study is part of the Global Burden of Disease series and shows that, among adults aged 25 and older, the prevalence rose from 7.8 to 27.7 percent over the course of three decades.
According to the study, published this month on the Lancet website, Brazil had the highest increase among the 17 Latin American countries surveyed.
When all cases of excess weight – including being overweight and obesity – are combined, the prevalence rose from 40.3 percent in 1990 to 66.8 percent in 2023. In other words, two out of three Brazilians were above the normal weight for their height.
Along with Colombia, Brazil was the nation with the highest growth in the proportion of the population that was overweight (69%) in Latin America – a region that saw an average surge of 47 percent during that time span.
Overweight and obesity are calculated based on a body mass index (BMI) that takes into account the relationship between weight and height. Overweight is the category just above normal weight – that is, when the BMI is between 25.00 and 29.99. Obesity, on the other hand, is the category above overweight, when the BMI is 30.00 or higher.
Breaking habits
Deborah Carvalho Malta, a researcher at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) who helped conduct the study, says that this increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity reflects changes in habits, such as diet and physical activity.
She notes that, in recent decades, Brazil has been undergoing a nutritional transition with two contrasting outcomes – a reduction in malnutrition and a decline in food quality.
“There have been improvements in actual living conditions – access to food, and school meal programs, along with many important social protection policies, including the Bolsa Família [cash transfer] program, as well as a real increase in the minimum wage. As a result, malnutrition is increasingly becoming a residual problem,” Malta stated.
On the other hand, there has also been a decline in the quality of food consumed by the population as a whole.
“We’ve seen healthy foods being replaced by unhealthy ones, like ultra-processed foods. That’s because they’re cheaper, the industry markets them heavily, and they’re palatable foods with high levels of fat, sugar, and sodium – but with a taste that both children and adults enjoy. And they’re easy to prepare – you just open the package,” she pointed out.
She adds that studies have shown a decline in the consumption of beans, a legume considered an important source of protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals such as iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and phosphorus.
Policies should be implemented to encourage healthy eating, such as increasing taxes on ultra-processed products (like soft drinks) and reducing taxes on healthy foods, such as meat, fruits, vegetables, greens, rice, and beans, she argues. “This will make a big difference on the tables of Brazilians, especially those with lower incomes.”
According to Malta, it is also important to encourage breastfeeding until the age of two and ensure that healthy foods are provided in school meals.
Sedentary lifestyle
Another phenomenon highlighted by the expert is the increase in sedentary behavior among Brazilians, who exercise less and are more exposed to cell phone, computer, and TV screens.
“This combination – dieting and physical activities – is a major factor in the rise in excess weight. And it’s a Western phenomenon, where people’s diets worsen and they become more sedentary.”
She argues it is important to address excess weight by providing healthy food and encouraging physical activities, starting in childhood.
“It’s much harder to reverse obesity that develops during childhood. So, [an obese] child also has a much higher risk not only of becoming obese as an adult but also of developing chronic noncommunicable diseases. That’s why it’s vital for us to pay special attention to childhood obesity,” she warned.
Deborah Carvalho Malta, a pediatrician with a Ph.D. in public health, points out that being overweight is linked to the development of various chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular, kidney, and musculoskeletal conditions, as well as various types of cancer, not to mention the psychological impact on a person’s self-esteem.
Fonte: Agência Brasil