Health

Study: Obesity Slows in Rich Nations, Rises in Poorer Ones

Is obesity a crisis finally being tamed by policy and medicine or an accelerating problem in low-income countries?

Published 1 day ago

Study: Obesity Slows in Rich Nations, Rises in Poorer Ones

Story

Above: A woman exercises as part of the Obesity Therapy Program at Leipzig University Hospital, Germany, June 5, 2025. Image credit: Jan Woitas/picture alliance/Getty Images

The Spin

Narrative A

Obesity rates are plateauing and even reversing in high-income countries, proving that smart public health policy actually works. Weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy are poised to accelerate that progress dramatically once access expands. The trend toward obesity was never inevitable — governments that acted decisively got results, and the data backs that up.

Imperial College London Daily Mail The Telegraph

Narrative B

Calling obesity a slowing crisis ignores that rates are hitting record highs in dozens of low- and middle-income countries, with no sign of stopping. Globalization is exporting Western dietary patterns to nations that lack the resources to fight back. Expensive weight-loss drugs remain out of reach for the populations that need them most, meaning the global burden is only getting more unequal.

Nature EL PAÍS English