Underfed and Overfed

 

The Worldwatch Institute says that the number of overweight people in the world equals the number of underweight people for the first time in history. Today there are about 1.1 billion people who are hungry. There are also about 1.1 billion people who are overweight.

Hunger is decreasing around the world. There are fewer starving people every year. In 1970, 35 percent of people in developing countries were suffering from starvation. By 1996, the figure was 18 percent. The United Nations says that it will be only 6 percent by 2030.

Unfortunately, the number of overweight people is increasing faster than the starvation rate is decreasing. In the United States, 55 percent of adults are overweight; 23 percent of American adults are considered obese. However, the United States is not alone. Surprisingly, excessive body weight and obesity are increasing rapidly in developing countries, too. The report states that in the past, people in these countries were unhealthy because they did not have enough to eat. Now they are unhealthy because they overeat.

Everyone understands that hunger is a problem. People who do not

have enough to eat are malnourished. Their bodies do not get the nutrients they need. However, most people do not understand that many overweight people also suffer from malnutrition. According to the report, both the hungry and the overweight have health problems. They are sicker and die younger than other people.

A. Read the statements and write true (T) or false (F). 

1. Starving people are overweight.

2. Malnutrition is the same as malnourishment.

3. Starvation is decreasing.

4. About 1.1 billion people are starving.

5. Obesity is increasing faster than starvation is decreasing.

B.    Answer the questions.

1.     What do the hungry and overweight have in common?

2. Is starvation a problem in rich countries? Why or why not?

3.  What is the reason for health problems in the developing countries in the present and in the past?