As more Latin Americans eat processed food, obesity rates surge

January 19, 2017

Latin America, once plagued by malnutrition, now faces a different type of public health crisis as processed food increasingly replaces traditionally prepared dishes, leading to a surge in obesity rates, a United Nations report showed on Thursday.

Nearly 58 percent of the region's inhabitants, or close to 360 million people, is either overweight or obese, said the report by the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

The rapid jump in obesity rates has crisscrossed the region, affecting Latin Americans "regardless of their economic situation, place of residence or ethnic origin," it . . .

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