Overfed and underfed people face similar health problems. They suffer from an increased susceptibility to illness, reduced life expectancy and reduced productivity. There are 600 million overweight people world wide. 97 million of those are adults in the United States. The industrialized nations have experienced the greatest increase in the share of population that is overweight.
Risks resulting from obesity are high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer.
There are 841 million people worldwide who are underfed. The two areas of concentration of hunger are the Indian Sub-Continent and Sub Saharan Africa. 19,000 children die each day as a direct result of starvation. Much of world hunger is caused by low productivity, low income and poverty. One key to stopping hunger is stabilizing population and distributing wealth equally.