M/S Child drinking a soft drink
C/U Meat cooking
M/S Man cutting meat
C/U Man deep-frying food
SOT Dr. Abelardo Ávila Curiel from the National Institute of Medical Science and Nutrition (speaking Spanish): "For the first time in our history, we see individuals becoming obese and malnourished within just a few years. This is an extremely serious matter."
M/S Woman looking at pies
C/U Woman putting sauce on food
M/S Man eating
C/U Meat cooking in oil
SOT Dr. Abelardo Ávila Curiel from the National Institute of Medical Science and Nutrition (speaking Spanish): "Our food consumption habit is being ruled by the sector of the food industry that produces the so called junk food. This means food that has no positive nutritional value and which consumption, at the volumes we are ingesting them, is extremely harmful to our health. That means the obesity epidemic in our society cannot be explained without taking in consideration the exaggerated consumption of these products."
M/S Woman eating
M/S Man cooking meat
C/U Man making tortilla
C/U Deep frying meat
M/S Man buying food
SCRIPT
Mexico: Mexico outweighs US on obesity scale
Mexico, according to officials at the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation, has overtaken the US when it comes to adult obesity levels. Mexico has a 32.8 percent adult obesity rate, while the US has a rate 31.8 percent. The report stated that weight-related diabetes is on the rise, with almost one in six Mexican adults falling victim to the illness. Some 100,000 Mexicans are dying per year due to contracting diabetes.
The rise in obesity and related deaths has been ascribed to the increased consumption of fast food and sugary sodas. Mexican food is widely known to be calorific, with delicacies like burritos, nachos, tacos and quesadillas packing on the pounds. Dr. Abelardo Avila Curiel from the National Institute of Medical Science and Nutrition traces the trend to the low cost of such produce, saying: "For the first time in our history, we see individuals becoming obese and malnourished within just a few years. This is an extremely serious matter."
Curiel stressed the importance of the food industry as a factor in the crisis, saying: "Our food consumption habit is being ruled by the sector of the food industry that produces the so called junk food. This means food that has no positive nutritional value and which consumption, at the volumes we are ingesting them, is extremely harmful to our health. That means the obesity epidemic in our society cannot be explained without taking in consideration the exaggerated consumption of these products."
