Too fat

Obesity is gaining ever more media, political and business attention. The Economist magazine published an intelligent summary on 15th December, highlighting some stark global statistics for people overweight in 2008:

• 1 in 4 in China
• 1 in 3 worldwide
• 1 in 2 in Brazil
• 6 out of 10 in Britain
• 2 out of 3 in America.

After reviewing alternative interventions from medicine to tax, the article rightly concludes : “There is a limit, however, to what the state can or should do. In the end, the responsibility and power to change lie primarily with individuals.”