Among the weighty topics dealt with in Davos by the mighty of the earth there is also that of obesity. Which is a serious matter: the World Economic Forum estimates that over the next 20 years, 47 trillion dollars ($47 trillion) could be sacrificed in the form of lost products due to non-contagious dysfunction and mental illness, with obesity to blame 44% of the costs from diabetes and 23% of the impact from heart problems.
The WEF has succeeded in galvanizing support for AIDS and vaccination in poor countries in the past, but the fight against obesity promises to be far more complicated. There are interests at stake, from those of the companies that produce high-calorie foods and beverages to those of the pharmaceutical companies that produce medicines for diabetes. In short, the result is that there was no agreement on what to do. Meanwhile, in Xi'an, in the Chinese province of Shaanxi, the "Fat and Happy" contest was held: the winner was Shao Qian, a 21-year-old who weighs 182 kilos. And, from the photograph, he seems happy.
