The Lancet (October 10)
On a somewhat encouraging note, a recent study on worldwide trends in weight finds “the rising trends in children’s and adolescents’ BMI have plateaued in many high-income countries, albeit at high levels.” On a less positive note, childhood obesity “has accelerated in parts of Asia.” Nevertheless, food security remains an urgent priority because “the number of children and adolescents aged 5–19 years in the world who are moderately or severely underweight remains larger than those who are obese.” Striking the right balance remains challenging as “the experiences of east Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean show that the transition from underweight to overweight and obesity can be rapid, and overwhelm the national capacity needed to engender a healthy transition.”
Tags: Asia, BMI, Caribbean, Childhood obesity, Encouraging, Food security, Latin America, Obesity, Overweight, Study, Underweight, Worldwide trends
National Geographic (August 29)
While much focus is on surging tension with China, “another less publicized, also potentially disastrous, threat looms in the South China Sea: overfishing. This is one of the world’s most important fisheries, employing more than 3.7 million people and bringing in billions of dollars every year. But after decades of free-for-all fishing, dwindling stocks now threaten both the food security and economic growth of the rapidly developing nations that draw on them.”
Tags: China, Developing nations, Disastrous, Economic growth, Food security, Overfishing, South China Sea, Tension, Threat
