Health
For the first time, there are more children in the world who are obese than underweight
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For the first time in history, more children are obese than underweight, a shift UNICEF says is putting millions of kids at risk of life-threatening disease.
The UN agency’s analysis, which covered data from more than 190 countries between 2000 and 2022 and projections since, found that one in 10 school-aged kids — about 188 million worldwide — is obese under World Health Organization (WHO) standards.
Meanwhile, one in five children under 19 years old globally – or 391 million – is overweight. Kids are considered overweight if they carry excess weight for their age, sex and height, while obesity is a more severe form that greatly increases the risk of serious health problems later in life.
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Between 2000 and 2022, global obesity rates among those aged five to 19 more than tripled, jumping from 3% to 9.4%. During the same period, the prevalence of underweight children fell from nearly 13% to 9.2%.
One in 10 children globally is living with obesity, putting them at risk of life-threatening diseases. (iStock)
“When we talk about malnutrition, we are no longer just talking about underweight children,” UNICEF executive director Catherine Russell said in a press release.
“Ultra-processed food is increasingly replacing fruits, vegetables and protein at a time when nutrition plays a critical role in children’s growth, cognitive development and mental health,” she warned.
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While undernutrition is still a significant problem, obesity is now more common almost everywhere except South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.
The report highlights obesity hotspots and found that levels have doubled since the 2000s, especially in low- and middle-income countries, even as they still struggle with undernutrition. In small Pacific Island nations like Niue and the Cook Islands, nearly 40% of young people are obese.
Children still face malnutrition in the form of being both underweight and overweight, according to UNICEF. (iStock)
Meanwhile, in wealthier countries, where ultra-processed foods make up more than half of adolescents’ calories, high levels of obesity persist. Twenty-seven percent of five-to-19-year-olds in Chile are living with obesity, while rates in the U.S. and the United Arab Emirates stand at 21%.
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In wealthier nations such as the U.S., doctors are increasingly backing the use of new weight-loss drugs in teenagers as a tool to combat the crisis.
“Obesity is not a failure of parents or children. It’s the result of toxic food environments,” author, professor and UNICEF backer Chris Van Tulleken told Reuters.
Obesity leads to a higher risk of developing insulin resistance and high blood pressure, as well as life-threatening diseases later in life, including Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and certain cancers, according to the report.
Obesity has now surpassed underweight as the most common form of malnutrition among young kids, UNICEF warns. (iStock)
In addition to ultra-processed foods, especially those high in salt, sugar and fat, experts blame the aggressive marketing of junk food.
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A survey of 64,000 young people conducted by the agency in 170 countries revealed that 75% had seen ads for sugary drinks, snacks or fast food in the prior week. Even in conflict zones, 68% reported being exposed to this kind of advertising. Sixty-five percent of respondents in low-income countries were exposed to them, too, including at school, on social media, at sporting events and in cartoons.
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. this week unveiled the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) report on childhood health, which warns that ultra-processed foods, sedentary behavior and a host of environmental and dietary factors are fueling rising obesity and chronic disease in American children.
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It said the administration would explore the development of potential industry guidelines to limit direct advertising of unhealthy foods to children.
UNICEF is urging governments to take swift action on unhealthy food environments. (iStock)
UNICEF is urging governments worldwide to urgently impose restrictions on junk food marketing and ban unhealthy products in schools.
In Mexico, where childhood and adolescent obesity is common and sugary drinks and ultra-processed foods account for 40% of kids’ daily calories, the government recently banned the sale and distribution of ultra-processed foods and items high in salt, sugar and fat in public schools, UNICEF noted.
The agency warned that without swift action, the trend threatens to fuel a surge in diabetes, heart disease and other serious health problems among the next generation.
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Jill Smokler, founder of Scary Mommy, has died at age 48 after a battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.
The popular “mommy blogger” had been fighting the disease for the past two years, according to an announcement posted on ScaryMommy.com on Monday.
The stay-at-home mother of three launched the blog in 2008 as a place to share the “joys and pitfalls” of parenting, according to the article.
As Scary Mommy expanded from a personal blog into a major parenting brand, Smokler built a following with her honest, often self-deprecating take on motherhood. She went on to speak at blogging conferences, author bestselling books, appear on national television programs and earn three Webby Awards, her biography states.
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“Jill spent her life telling the truth about motherhood — that it could be wonderful and impossible in the very same breath — and in doing so, she gave millions of women permission to stop pretending and feel a little less alone,” her family shared in a statement following her passing.
Jill Smokler, founder of Scary Mommy (pictured in 2018), has died at age 48 after a battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. (Lloyd Fox/Baltimore Sun/ZUMA Press Wire / Shutterstock)
“She was funny, fearless, generous and entirely herself. More than anything she built, Jill was proudest of her three children, Lily, Ben and Evan. We are heartbroken to lose her, and endlessly proud of the mark she left on the world.”
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Smokler’s first sign of the disease was in April 2024, when she experienced a sudden seizure. She then underwent surgery to remove a brain tumor, after which she didn’t recognize her own children, she previously shared with Today.
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“I am definitely grateful that I don’t remember the looks on their faces when I didn’t recognize them,” she said. “That must have been gutting.”
Smokler was diagnosed with glioblastoma, the most common malignant primary brain tumor in adults and one of the deadliest forms of brain cancer. There is currently no cure.
About 13.9% of all brain tumors are glioblastomas, according to the American Brain Tumor Association. (iStock)
Following surgery, the blogger underwent radiation and chemotherapy, during which she was open about her treatment side effects, including fatigue and hair loss. Additional surgeries and clinical trials followed, according to previous interviews.
“Thank you, Jill, for everything. May you rest in peace,” the Scary Mommy post concluded.
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About 13.9% of all brain tumors are glioblastomas, according to the American Brain Tumor Association. More than 12,000 new cases are diagnosed in the U.S. each year.
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Median survival is approximately 12 to 18 months after diagnosis, even with treatment. Only about 5% to 7% of patients survive five years after diagnosis, data shows.
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Common food preservatives may contribute to higher risks of high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease, according to a large French study.
Researchers analyzed data from 112,395 adults averaging 42 years of age, assessing their detailed dietary intake with an average follow-up of nearly eight years.
Among the participants, 5,544 developed hypertension during the follow-up period, and 2,450 experienced cardiovascular disease events.
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Higher consumption of total non-antioxidant preservatives was associated with a 29% greater risk of hypertension and a 16% higher risk of cardiovascular disease.
Higher consumption of total antioxidant preservatives was linked to a 22% spike in hypertension risk.
Common food preservatives may contribute to higher risks of high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease, according to a large French study. (iStock)
Out of the 17 preservative additives consumed by at least 10% of participants, eight in particular were associated with higher rates of hypertension, including the following.
- Potassium sorbate
- Sorbic acid
- Sodium nitrite
- Potassium nitrite
- Sodium metabisulphite
- Potassium metabisulphite
- Citric acid
- Tripotassium citrate
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Only one of the preservatives – ascorbic acid, which is the food additive form of vitamin C – was significantly associated with higher cardiovascular disease risk.
The finding does not mean that dietary vitamin C itself causes cardiovascular disease, the researchers noted. The study examined ascorbic acid in the form used as a food additive in processed foods, not vitamin C from fruits, vegetables or supplements.
Out of the 17 preservative additives consumed by at least 10% of participants, eight in particular were associated with higher rates of hypertension. (iStock)
The findings were published in the European Heart Journal.
“This is a very important study that puts together what we already know – that preservatives of all kinds raise blood pressure and contribute directly to heart disease and stroke over eight years,” Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst, told Fox News Digital.
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“Whereas potassium itself can lower blood pressure, the additive potassium sorbate has previously been found to be associated with hypertension in a large study in the European Heart Journal,” the doctor, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital. “Potassium metabisulphite was also found to raise pressure in the same study.”
The same was found for sodium nitrite in the new study, Siegel noted, with 73% of participants consuming it regularly – “mostly in processed foods like hot dogs, ham, bacon and deli meats.”
“Preservatives of all kinds raise blood pressure and contribute directly to heart disease and stroke over eight years,” a doctor told Fox News Digital. (iStock)
“This has been found in previous research for many years,” he added.
Siegel also discussed the 22% increased risk linked to ascorbic acid. “I am dubious about this association, as it has not generally been found before, but perhaps the risk is when it is used as a chemical preservative.”
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“For all the sodium additives, this is expected, but surprising with extracts of rosemary and citric acid – the key to both of these ingredients is when they are used as preservatives (chemicals),” he added.
Potential limitations
As this was an observational study, it could not prove that the additives caused the health conditions.
Also, the participants who volunteered for the study were generally healthier, more educated and more often female than the general French population, the researchers noted.
As this was an observational study, it could not prove that the additives caused the health conditions. (FG Trade / Getty Images)
There was also the chance that hypertension was underdiagnosed in some participants.
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While the researchers estimated people’s dietary intake as accurately as possible, there was a chance that some consumption was inaccurately reported.
The authors emphasized that these findings need to be confirmed in further research of other populations.
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If the results are replicated in future research, some food preservatives may face additional safety reviews focused on their effects on the cardiovascular system, the researchers suggested.
“The take-home is to use natural ingredients as much as possible, and especially beware of sodium chemical preservatives when it comes to risk of heart disease and stroke from associated hypertension,” Siegel concluded.
JD Vance reveals his favorite dad joke
Dana Perino, Greg Gutfeld, Jesse Watters, and Jessica Tarlov engage in a lighthearted exchange of classic dad jokes on Fox News’ ‘The Five’. The discussion is sparked by recent research highlighted in The Washington Post, which indicates that humor, even ‘cringeworthy’ dad jokes, plays a surprisingly important role in parenting and can help strengthen the bond between fathers and children. The panel illustrates this point with their own memorable one-liners.
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“My neighbor tiled my roof for free. He said it was on the house.”
While that dad joke might elicit a heavy sigh from family members, experts say a silly pun can alter internal body chemistry and lower stress, potentially providing real health benefits.
Dad jokes are uniquely distinguished by their structure, content and comedic devices, according to a study published on PsyArXiv, an open-access preprint repository for psychology research.
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In analyzing thousands of examples, psychologists Paul J. Silvia (University of North Carolina at Greensboro) and Meriel I. Burnett (University of Massachusetts Amherst) found that dad humor is firmly rooted in puns and wordplay.
While more advanced comedy requires context, a joke about a neighbor’s roof may only require someone to understand the dual meaning of a single phrase.
Experts claim a pun can change body chemistry and lower stress. (iStock)
This predictable structure makes dad jokes broadly accessible, creating opportunities for shared humor across generations, the researchers said.
Laughter alters internal chemistry by decreasing stress hormones like cortisol and epinephrine, while simultaneously increasing happiness chemicals like dopamine, serotonin and endorphins.
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A 2023 review in PLOS One found that a single laughter session could slash cortisol levels by more than 36%. This drop in stress lights up regions like the prefrontal cortex, helping the brain to process complex ideas.
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Studies have linked pun comprehension to verbal ability, creative thinking and the ability to make connections between different meanings.
Sharing a good laugh can boost oxytocin, a hormone known to deepen emotional bonds between parents and children. (iStock)
“When we see children laugh, we witness the brilliance of the brain in action: learning, connecting and growing,” Jacqueline Harding, PhD, an early childhood expert at Middlesex University in London, told Fox News Digital.
In her book, “The Brain That Loves to Laugh,” Harding states that joy is a complex biological phenomenon that helps children navigate stress and build more resilient, receptive minds.
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“Hope and humor, it seems, are not just the seasoning of life, but foundational to a recipe for healthy development.”
The physical benefit extends directly to the family unit. Sharing a good laugh can boost oxytocin, a hormone known to deepen emotional bonds between parents and children. It also promotes what psychologists call co-regulation, experts say.
Sharing a good laugh can boost oxytocin, a hormone known to deepen emotional bonds between parents and children. (iStock)
This process allows individuals to manage their own stress by drawing on a shared biological store of positive, safe experiences.
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“Spontaneous, joyful play is an antidote to stress, as it increases levels of endorphins released by the brain,” Harding said.
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“Creative, happy play does its most brilliant work at a molecular level, especially at a time when the human brain is at its most receptive.”
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