The majority of the country's population is now either overweight or faces obesity – raising yet more their risk of potentially fatal illnesses. A survey by the Pakistan Health Research Council has left experts deeply concerned about the effects of obesity on a mass scale.
The study used two cut-off points for defining obesity. By the cut-off point established by the World Health Organization (WHO), 43.9 percent of Pakistan's population is obese. By Asian cut-offs, some 58.1 percent of the population is obese.
Obesity is being discussed as playing a role in a number of health risks in Pakistan, including hypertension, heart problems and diabetes. This comes soon after international experts warned that Pakistan is among the top 10 countries experiencing an absolute increase in the prevalence of diabetes.