- Receding famine stage: high rates of infant mortality caused by infectious diseases & under-nutrition
- Degenerative diseases stage: increased consumption of fats, processed foods, & sugars as well as reduced physical activity leads to increased rates of NCCD
- Behavioral change stage: after experiencing the devastating effects of degenerative diseases, behavioral changes in diet and lifestyle occur, including reduced consumption of fats and refined carbohydrates to increased consumption of fruits, vegetables, and fiber
The same people who are malnourished are the ones who are becoming obese.The rate at which this shift has occurred is astounding—only 40 years ago the main causes of death were malnutrition and infectious diseases and now Mexico’s biggest killers are heart disease and diabetes.

Implications of Obesity for Achieving Sustainability
Clearly it is a problem that an estimated 73% of young adult women in Mexico are either overweight or obese, but what does that mean for Sustainability? The impact of obesity can be seen in terms of the 3 Pillars of Sustainability.5)Typically described as economy, society, & environment First, economically, the recent FAO report estimated that the cumulative cost of all non-communicable diseases, for which overweight and obesity are leading risk factors, were estimated to be about US$1.4 trillion in 2010. The social cost, in terms of disability-adjusted life years for obesity is very high. The FAO reported that globally, while the social burden due to child and maternal malnutrition has declined almost by half during the last two decades, the social cost due to overweight and obesity has almost doubled. One of the dietary shifts that has resulted in adverse health effects as well as in unsustainable patterns of consumption is an increased consumption of animal fats. Prominent nutrition scholar, Barry Popkin, wrote that:the transformation of the grain markets for animal feed leads to the degradation of natural resources, and significant social changes.The consumption of red meat has been linked to a number of adverse health effects (including cardiovascular disease and Type II Diabetes) and in terms of the environmental impact, the production of meat is incredibly resource intensive—requiring more energy, water, and land than plant-based counterparts (e.g. beans). In addition to the negative environmental impact associated with meat production, industrial agriculture comes with its own set of environmental burdens, including water and air contamination due to increased use of synthetic fertilizers and chemicals. While reduced prices of meats, among other products, due to industrial agriculture has enabled people to diversify their diets, it has also led to numerous unintended consequences with regard to both Sustainability and nutrition.



Footnotes
1. | ↑ | This epidemiological transition is characterized by a shift from high infectious disease morbidity and mortality (rates) to an increasing prevalence of non-communicable chronic diseases (NCCD). |
2. | ↑ | The nutrition transition is the shift from high rates of under-nutrition to predominance of diet-related NCCD associated with obesity. |
3. | ↑ | For more information on the nutrition transition in Latin America check out this open access article by Rivera et. al (2004) |
4. | ↑ | While soda is the focus of most activists' ire, many other popular drinks including those marketed as "healthy" contain loads of sugar as these charts make clear. |
5. | ↑ | Typically described as economy, society, & environment |
6. | ↑ | The chaotic, informal recycling system of Mexico is a current topic of research for us and we'll be sharing preliminary results as we go on this blog. Stay tuned. |