Story at-a-glance Global obesity rates have skyrocketed, with over 3.8 billion adults projected to be overweight or obese by 2050, making this a worsening crisis that no country has successfully reversed People are gaining excess weight at younger ages than ever before, increasing their lifetime exposure to obesity-related diseases like Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers The obesity epidemic is no longer limited to wealthy nations — low-income and developing countries are experiencing some of the fastest-growing obesity rates due to shifts toward ultraprocessed foods The economic burden of obesity is crippling health care systems, with global obesity-related health care costs expected to reach $4 trillion by 2035 Fixing obesity requires addressing the root causes — eliminating harmful seed oils, reducing exposure to synthetic estrogens and EMFs, and healing the gut to restore proper mitochondrial function