A new study, commissioned by McKinsey & Company, evaluated how the world could fight obesity.  The most staggering finding in the research is that obesity is one of the top three most expensive social burdens generated by humans.  Its impact on global GDP is almost equivalent to smoking or armed violence, war, and terrorism.

Currently, obesity is responsible for $2 trillion annually or 2.8 percent of global GDP.  Moreover, obesity is responsible for 5 percent of all deaths around the world every year.  According to the Daily Mail, there are some places where the burden of obesity surpasses the other leading factors.  In the U.K., tobacco is the leading burden, followed by obesity.  In the U.S., obesity also comes in second, trailing behind armed conflict.

McKinsey’s report does more than share the doom and gloom of obesity.  The researchers identified 44 interventions that could bring 20 percent of overweight or obese people back into a normal weight range.  These 44 interventions were selected from a list of 74 potential interventions.  The report notes that a single intervention is not the cure-all, but a portfolio of interventions will be the most successful.

The top obesity interventions identified by the study were grouped into 16 areas.  These areas include portion control, reformulation of food products, availability of high-calorie foods and beverages, weight management, parental education, school curriculum, healthy meals, surgery, food labeling, price promotions, pharmaceuticals, media restrictions, 10 percent tax on products with high sugar or high fat content, workplace wellness, active transport, and public health campaigns.  The researchers also note that lack of research can be a burden for supporting an intervention, but they recommend experimenting with different possible solutions to find what works for a community or country.