Once I first got here to stay in Vietnam over 12 years in the past, I believed I used to be going to undertake the Vietnamese weight loss program and way of life and by no means have to fret about being obese and unhealthy once more.
What I didn’t know, nevertheless, was that I used to be strolling right into a looming public well being disaster amongst a nation of people who I assumed ate wholesome meals on a regular basis.
A decade on, virtually 20% of younger individuals between the ages of 5 and 19 are both obese or overweight, whereas the prevalence of diabetes within the 10 years previous to 2016 had virtually doubled already, leaving an estimated 1 in 20 Vietnamese with the illness.
Who is aware of what that determine is at this time [*new update here].
Now, UNICEF has predicted that by 2030, virtually 2 million Vietnamese youngsters will likely be overweight if nothing is completed instantly.
And so as to add to that, it’s estimated that greater than 50% of individuals with diabetes in Vietnam don’t know they’ve it.
That’s a proverbial time bomb ticking proper there.
How did this nation identified for its seemingly wholesome delicacies discover itself within the midst of such an alarming public well being situation?
Be part of me on this first episode of my podcast sequence during which I try to search out out issues I ought to have identified years in the past concerning the nation I now name house.
Observe Matt on Instagram at @mattcowansaigon
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