That being said, there is also no arguing that countries around the world copy and use the Western World as an example for their societal futures. Countries around the world are implementing hundreds of fast food chains such as KFC and Pizza Hut and pairing them with an increasing sedentary lifestyle similar to that of Americans. This, consequently, has lead to other countries around the world beginning to experience the same obesity problems that America has started. Brazil, China and India are the newest contributors to global obesity. 

Without going into the messy and confusing statistics, Brazil, China and India are facing a grim future if they maintain their growing rate of obesity and disease. On average, all three countries have witnessed their obesity rates double or even triple in the past decade. Additionally, these three countries have also witnessed their populations with Type 2 diabetes increase nearly ten-fold. 

These statistics are, for lack of a better word, scary. America is trend-setting in the worst way possible. However, the problems do not stop with the health of societies, if anything, the problems only begin here. 

The economic costs of caring for disease ridden societies are a commonly overlooked consequence. Take China, for example. If China wanted to provide medical assistance, such as insulin, to only a quarter of their diabetic population, at a third of the cost of US per patient annual costs, this would cost the Chinese government $46 billion per year, which is equivalent to almost half of China’s annual military defense budget. This is only one direct cost of disease; some indirect costs would be all of the days lost at work from illness and the extremely high expenditures for healthcare and health insurance.

Now, if we take all of the above examples and apply them to America and the American citizens, whom are already at a more advanced stage of obesity and diabetic infestation, our medical, economic and financial future is looking grim.

Sources: The Atlantic