(HealthDayNews) Obesity rates in remote Himalayan mountain villages are five times higher than they were two decades ago, according to a new study that highlights the extent of the global obesity epidemic.
Obesity-related health issues have skyrocketed as well, the study found.
Researchers looked at data from more than 4,600 adults in the Gilgit Baltistan region of Pakistan who took part in surveys conducted in 1995 and 2013. Over those 18 years, the obesity rate rose from about 2 percent to almost 13 percent, and the proportion of overweight people increased from almost 12 percent to about 27 percent.