By CGTN's Paulo Cabral
Brazil often projects an image of healthy, beautiful people, but obesity is a growing problem there. New figures show more than half the population is overweight.
Estimates from Brazil’s health ministry confirm there has been significant weight-gain in the country.
The number of obese people in Brazil went from less than 12 percent of the population in 2006 to almost 19 percent in 2016. That's an increase of 60 percent in just 10 years.
Misael Caldogno Abreu, five, stands with his parents on April 5, 2016, in Espirito Santo, Brazil. Abreu risks being suffocated because of obesity. /VCG Photo
The number of people considered overweight, but not medically obese, went from less than 43 percent in 2006 to nearly 54 percent in 2016.
Obesity is widely recognized as a risk factor for a number of health conditions. Its rise in Brazil presents a serious problem, not only for individuals, but for the country’s public health system as a whole.
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