According to a study conducted by researchers in New Zealand, around 5.5 billion people that make up to 76% of the world’s population are ‘overfat’. The research was carried out in order to bring forth a change in global health efforts against chronic and metabolic diseases.
By the term ‘overfat’, the researchers specified the condition of having sufficient amount of body fat to damage health, claimed a report by BBC health.
“The overfat category includes normal-weight people with increased risk factors for chronic disease, such as high abdominal fat, and those with characteristics of a condition called normal-weight metabolic obesity,” said reseachers.
As the rate of obesity has grown incredibly over the past three to four decades, the study highlights the number of people living on unhealthy levels of body fats.
On the other hand, the study also showed that with the number of rising chronic diseases, the number of anorexic patients is increasing with individuals starving as a result of excessive exercise and diet. This apparently leaves the entire population with a mere 14% of people with a normal and healthy body-fat percentage.
This is the first study that has quantified to global levels the number of overfat people versus overweight or obese.