MORE than two thirds of people in the US are overweight or obese – and new research reveals why.
The average American scoffs 3,868 calories every day – the second-highest number of any country in the world.
GettyThe average American eats 3,868 calories a day, research reveals[/caption]
The States was trumped only by Bahrain, where people eat 4,012 calories daily.
The figures are based on findings by Oxford University scientists at OurWorldInData, which used statistics from the United Nations.
Ireland scored bronze with 3,850, and Belgium (3,824) and Turkey (3,762) rounded out the top five.
The UK ranked 26th overall, with the average Brit munching their way through 3,422 calories every 24 hours.
This compares to the Central African Republic, where residents consume only 1,642.
Burundi (1,697), Madagascar (1,771), Zimbabwe (1,853) and Lesotho (1,922) completed the bottom five.
The NHS recommends women consume no more than 2,000 calories a day and men should stick to around 2,500.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issues similar guidance, with an advice 2,000 daily cap for all.
More than 94 per cent of the countries included in the study surpassed this limit.
The average worked out to be 2,947 – about what they chow down on in Indonesia, Mongolia and the Seychelles.
The data, from the Food and Agriculture Organization, was based on the average total food bought per household so did not account for wastage.
But experts warn any excessive calorie consumption puts people at risk of obesity – and a host of related health complications.
Mostly commonly, this includes type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, some types of cancer, and stroke.
The NHS says: “Obesity is an increasingly common problem because the environment we live in makes it difficult for many people to eat healthily and do enough physical activity.
“Managing it can be hard. Losing weight takes time and commitment.
“It’s important to remember that losing what seems like a small amount of weight, such as three per cent or more of your original body weight, and maintaining this for life, can significantly reduce your risk of developing obesity-related complications like diabetes and heart disease.”
How many calories people eat per day around the world
Bahrain 4,012
United States 3,868
Ireland 3,851
Belgium 3,824
Turkey 3,762
Austria 3,739
Germany 3,648
Italy 3,621
Qatar 3,609
Romania 3,600
France 3,582
Israel 3,570
Canada 3,569
Poland 3,539
Algeria 3,519
Luxembourg 3,497
Portugal 3,489
Norway 3,473
Montenegro 3,469
Netherlands 3,460
Serbia 3,460
Tunisia 3,449
Lebanon 3,444
Denmark 3,433
United Kingdom 3,423
Moldova 3,418
Russia 3,414
Switzerland 3,405
Iceland 3,405
South Korea 3,405
Australia 3,399
Armenia 3,396
Kuwait 3,388
Czechia 3,387
China 3,378
Kazakhstan 3,377
Morocco 3,374
Finland 3,370
Oman 3,369
Azerbaijan 3,366
Lithuania 3,357
Argentina 3,350
Cuba 3,347
Brazil 3,333
Hungary 3,321
Albania 3,314
Spain 3,311
Bosnia and Herzegovina 3,310
Greece 3,309
Bhutan 3,283
United Arab Emirates 3,276
Uzbekistan 3,269
Belarus 3,250
Mexico 3,248
Uruguay 3,246
Libya 3,241
Georgia 3,223
Latvia 3,210
Saudi Arabia 3,203
Hong Kong 3,197
Estonia 3,168
Croatia 3,167
Sweden 3,167
Egypt 3,167
Guyana 3,131
Chile 3,124
North Macedonia 3,118
Slovenia 3,097
Ghana 3,089
Barbados 3,081
New Zealand 3,062
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 3,056
Vietnam 3,026
Costa Rica 3,015
Mauritania 3,013
Cyprus 3,012
Slovakia 3,006
Macao 2,996
Panama 2,994
Mauritius 2,994
Paraguay 2,986
Taiwan 2,984
Iran 2,972
Ukraine 2,967
Colombia 2,957
Seychelles 2,952
Mongolia 2,946
Indonesia 2,942
Dominican Republic 2,940
Malaysia 2,934
Cote d’Ivoire 2,929
Dominica 2,927
Myanmar 2,924
Kiribati 2,907
New Caledonia 2,899
South Africa 2,882
Bulgaria 2,881
Nepal 2,877
Malta 2,877
Samoa 2,857
Guinea 2,854
Fiji 2,832.
Jamaica 2,825
Cambodia 2,824
Micronesia (country) 2,820
Peru 2,816
Sri Lanka 2,805
Cameroon 2,800
Saint Kitts and Nevis 2,799
Philippines 2,790
Thailand 2,788
Belize 2,787
Senegal 2,786
Mali 2,782
Tajikistan 2,780
Turkmenistan 2,778
Vanuatu 2,770
El Salvador 2,768
French Polynesia 2,765
Laos 2,755
Nauru 2,742
Kyrgyzstan 2,738
Benin 2,730
Trinidad and Tobago 2,727
Japan 2,705
Guatemala 2,699
Saint Lucia 2,694
Burkina Faso 2,664
Suriname 2,663
Honduras 2,627
Malawi 2,626
Nicaragua 2,616
Niger 2,615
Namibia 2,603
Sudan 2,570
India 2,569
Nigeria 2,560
Antigua and Barbuda 2,557
Djibouti 2,541
Eswatini 2,536
Gabon 2,535
Bangladesh 2,533
Comoros 2,506
Ecuador 2,497
Cape Verde 2,493
Togo 2,463l
Bahamas 2,446
Bolivia 2,430
Sao Tome and Principe 2,424
Syria 2,418
Pakistan 2,401
Botswana 2,397
Maldives 2,370
Gambia 2,368
Ethiopia 2,361
Angola 2,350
Solomon Islands 2,341
Tanzania 2,318
Jordan 2,308l
Grenada 2,307
East Timor 2,296
Venezuela 2,282
Uganda 2,278
Zambia 2,276
Kenya 2,268
Sierra Leone 2,262
South Sudan 2,253
Afghanistan 2,237
Chad 2,217
Rwanda 2,190
Guinea-Bissau 2,188
Iraq 2,179
Congo 2,148
Haiti 2,110
Liberia 2,098
Papua New Guinea 2,085
North Korea 2,070
Mozambique 2,053
Democratic Republic of Congo 1,996
Yemen 1,958
Lesotho 1,922
Zimbabwe 1,853
Madagascar 1,771
Burundi 1,697
Central African Republic 1,642
Source: WorldInData via the United Nations