Passage 2

Worldwide, 2.2 billion adults and children suffer from health problems related to being overweight or obese, according to a new study funded by the Gates Foundation. In all, about 30 percent of the world,s population is affected by weight problems, with 10 percent listed as obese, people were classified as overweight if their body mass index was in the 25 to 29 range, while obesity is defined as anyone with a body mass index of 30 or more. The findings represent ”a growing and disturbing global public health crisis”,said the authors of the paper, which was published Monday in the New England Journal of Medicine.

So parents struggle to keep the junk food out of little mouths. Among the 20 countries with largest population, the highest level of obesity among children and young adults was in the U. S. , at nearly 13 percent. Egypt topped the list for adult obesity at about 35 percent, while the lowest rates were in Bangladesh and Vietnam, respectively, at 1 percent.

The U. S. , with 79.4 million, had the most obese adults, followed by China. Obesity and inactivity could someday account for more cancer deaths than smoking if current trends continue. Richard Wender, a physician and chief cancer control officer at the American Cancer Society, said last week.

“Excess body weight is one of the most challenging public health problems of our time, affecting nearly one in every three people” said Dr. Ashkan Afshin, the paper ’ s lead author and a professor at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington in Seattle.

The research also found obesity has tripled in youth and young adults in countries such as China, Brazil and Indonesia.That was “the most worrisome finding” in the study, according to an editorial that accompanied the report. That suggests future increases in diabetes (糖尿病),high blood pressure, and other health problems in much of the world Obesity, inactivity could outpace smoking in cancer death risk.

The massive study, which involved more than 2,000 health experts, included 195 countries and territories and covered the years 1980 through 2015. “People whoshrug offweight gain do so at their own risk—risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and other life-threatening conditions”,said study co-author Dr. Christopher Murray.

26. What is found in the study funded by the Gates Foundation?