Mexico Continues to Battle Serious Diabetes, Obesity Epidemic Hope Gillette - VOXXI
go to original February 18, 2013

CNN's Rafael Romo reports on how Mexico's growing obesity problem has created a diabetes crisis in the country. (CNN)

Diabetes is the number one killer in Mexico, the chronic health condition a direct result of the obesity issue the country also struggles with.

In fact, approximately two-thirds of the total nation’s population are classified as overweight or obese, reports Mexican news syndicate Aljazeera, with most of the issue stemming from lifestyle and eating habits.

The obesity epidemic in Mexico has been ongoing for almost a decade; in 2007, the nation’s health secretary, Jose Angel Cordova Villalobos, estimated the incidence of diabetes would rise by approximately 40 percent by 2012, killing as many as 100,000 Mexicans annually. His numbers were not far off, with diabetes claiming the lives of approximately 70,000 Mexicans a year, according to a 2012 report from McClatchy.

With 64 percent of adult men, 82 percent of adult women, and 34.4 percent of children in Mexico considered overweight or obese, the nation has jumped up to fifth on the world list when it comes to obesity  and obesity-related health conditions.

When it comes to obesity in Mexico, most fingers point to the surge in sugary beverages and snacks, which have complicated an already sedentary lifestyle for many Mexicans.

Read the whole story at VOXXI

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