Research

Energy balance

Rising income and urbanization in developing countries drive a nutrition transition characterized by increased fat and meat consumption, reduced physical activity, and a rapid rise in obesity and adult-onset diabetes.

In rapidly developing economies, obesity is not just a personal failure but a result of changing food environments (more fat/meat, less fiber) and lifestyle (sedentary work). Public health interventions should focus on environmental factors like food pricing and urban planning rather than just individual education.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
One consequence of the nutrition transition has been a decline in undernutrition accompanied by a rapid increase in obesity... The shift towards a diet higher in fat and meat and lower in carbohydrates and fibre, together with the shift towards less onerous physical activity, carries unwanted nutritional and health effects.
Barry M. Popkin · Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition · 2001

Why this rating

Based on large longitudinal surveys (CHNS) and FAO data across multiple countries, though observational.

Source

Nutrition in transition: The changing global nutrition challenge

Barry M. Popkin · Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition · 2001

DOI 10.1046/j.1440-6047.2001.0100s1s13.x

narrative_reviewCited 289×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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