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The world gets smaller, we get fatter
Increasing levels of fatness around the world could have the same impact on global resources as adding an extra billion people to the planet, say researchers.
A team from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine estimated the total weight of people on the planet and found that North America had the highest average.
Although only 6 per cent of the global population live there, it is responsible for more than a third of the obesity.
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The world gets smaller, we get fatter
In their report, published in the journal BMC Public Health, the researchers calculated the weight of the global population at 287 million tonnes.
They estimated that 15 million tonnes of this mass is due to people being overweight, and 3.5 million tonnes due to obesity.
Using World Health Organisation data from 2005, the scientists worked out that the average global body weight was 62 kg. But there were huge regional differences.
In North America, the average was 80.7 kg, while in Asia it was 57.7 kg.
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The world gets smaller, we get fatter
While Asia accounts for 61 per cent of the global population, it only accounts for 13 percent of the weight of the world due to obesity.
"When people think about environmental sustainability, they immediately focus on population. Actually, when it comes down to it -- it's not how many mouths there are to feed, it's how much flesh there is on the planet," said Professor Ian Roberts, one of the authors of the paper.
The researchers argued that just focussing on obesity is divisive and unhelpful.
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The world gets smaller, we get fatter
"One of the problems with definitions of obesity is that it fosters a 'them and us' ideal. Actually, we're all getting fatter," Professor Roberts told BBC News.
The scientists also compiled tables of the heaviest and lightest countries according to their estimates.
The US, with its well documented problems with weight, is top of the list. If the rest of the world were to emulate the Americans, Professor Roberts says, it would have dramatic implications for the planet.
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The world gets smaller, we get fatter
Japanese people have a low average BMI but high standards of living.
"If every country in the world had the same level of fatness that we see in the USA, in weight terms that would be like an extra billion people of world average body mass," he explained.
While countries like Eritrea, Vietnam and Ethiopia are at the other end of the scale from the US, the researchers argue it is not sufficient to say that being skinny is just a factor of poverty. Researchers point to a country like Japan which, according to Professor Roberts, could be a model for others.
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The world gets smaller, we get fatter
"The Japanese example is quite strong. Average BMI in USA in 2005 was 28.7. In Japan, it was 22. You can be lean without being really poor, and Japan seems to have pulled that off," he stated.
Kuwait, Croatia, Qatar and Egypt are also listed among other countries in the top 10 most weighty.
Professor Roberts said that the high number of Arab countries is due to the impact of the automobile.
"'One of the most important determinants of average body mass index is motor vehicle gas consumption per capita. So, it is no surprise to see many of the Arab countries in the list -- people eat but they move very little because they drive everywhere," he said.
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