Mexico Becomes Second Fattest Nation in the World
With more than 71 percent of women and 66 percent of men considered overweight, Mexico has become the second fattest nation in the world, according to a McClatchy Newspapers report.
If the trend continues, Mexico could surpass the U.S. as the most obese country within 10 years, according to the report.
According to the latest national survey, a quarter of Mexican children ages 5 to 11 are too heavy — a 40 percent increase since 2000.
"People don't eat right anymore," said Garcia, who's run a fruit stand in central Mexico City for the past 10 years. "Instead of coming here and purchasing a fruit drink, they prefer to walk across the street and buy fried pork chips. That's why so many Mexicans are obese."
Health officials are blaming the expanding waistlines on Mexican's increased consumption of soft drinks and fast-food.
The consumption of soft drinks increased 60 percent in Mexico over the last 14 years, according to the government's National Institute of Public Health.
"It certainly snuck up on them," said Barry Popkin , a University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill professor who studies global weight gain. "Mexico has probably had the most rapid increase of obesity in the last 15 years."