https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/12/191216203756.htm

"We are facing a new nutrition reality where major food system changes have led the poorest countries to have high levels of overweight and obesity along with undernutrition," says Barry M. Popkin, lead author of the first paper and W.R. Kenan Jr. Distinguished Professor of Nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Gillings School of Global Public Health. "Our research shows that overweight and obesity levels of at least 20% among adults are found in all low-income countries. Furthermore, the double burden of high levels of both undernutrition and overweight occurs primarily in the lowest-income countries -- a reality that is driven by the modern food system. This system has a global reach and is preventing low- and even moderate-income countries and households from consuming safe, affordable and healthy diets in a sustainable way."

Globally, estimates suggest that almost 2.3 billion children and adults are overweight, and more than 150 million children are stunted. In low- and middle-income countries, however, these emerging issues overlap in individuals, families and communities. The first paper explores the trends behind this intersection, known as the double burden of malnutrition, as well as the societal and food system changes that may be causing it, its biological explanation and effects, and policy measures that may help address malnutrition in all its forms.