The analysis in The Lancet looks at obesity (肥胖) trend in over 200 countries. In the UK, one in every 10 young people aged 5 to 19, is obese. Obese children are likely to become obese –adults, posting them at risk of serious health problems, say experts. Researchers believe wide availability of cheap, lattening food is one of the main drivers.

Although child obesity rates appear to be stabilizing in many high-income European countries, including the UK, they are accelerating at an alarming rate in many other parts of the world. The largest increase in the number of obese children has been in East Asia. China and India have seen rates “balloon” in recent years. Polynesia and Micronesia have the highest rate of all — around half of the young population in these countries is overweight or obese.

The researchers say that if current world trends continue, “obese” will soon be more common than “underweight”. “We have not become more weak-willed, lazy or greedy. The reality is that the world around us is changing.”

Dr Fiona Bull from the World Health Organization suggested tough measures to prevent “calorie-rich, nutrient-poor food” and entourage more physical activity. “But so far, just over 20 countries around the world have introduced a tax on sugary drinks,” she said.

Dr Alison Tedstone, chief nutritionist (营养学家) at Public Health England, said, “Our sugar reduction programme and the government’s sugar tax are world-leading, but this is just the beginning of a long journey to meet the challenge of a generation. The evidence is clear that just telling people what to do won’t work. While education and information are important, deeper actions are needed to help us lower calorie consumption and achieve healthier diets.”

TANAKA KANE became the third person ever to turn 118, according to the Gerontology Research Group, a team of academics. She is also the first citizen of Japan to reach 118—but is unlikely to be the last. The country has the world's longest life expectancy, and 80,000 people aged at 100 years old or older.

The unusual longevity enjoyed in Japan is credited to diet. Japan largely banned meat for l_,200 years, and still consumes relatively little meat and dairy. Too much of these can be damaging, since they contain saturated fatty acids(饱和脂肪酸)，which correlate to heart disease. Studies have also tied eating lots of processed red meat to a greater risk of stroke. But too little may be unwise as well, because they provide chemical substance that may be needed for our blood-tube walls. In a study of 48,000 Britons, vegetarians were unusually resistant to heart disease, but likely to suffer from strokes.

In theory, a lack of animal-based food could have contributed to Japan's historical cerebrovascular(脑血管)death rate. In 1960-2013, as the country's deaths from strokes reduced, its annual meat intake rose from near zero to 52kg per person (45% of America's level). Tsugane Shoichiro of the National Cancer Centre in Tokyo says that his citizens may need meat and dairy to keep their blood tubes strong―though not so much that those tubes get blocked.

Some evidence supports this view. One paper from the 1990s found that the parts of Japan where diets had changed most also had the biggest drops in cerebrovascular death rate. Another study, which tracked 80,000 Japanese people in 1995-2009, showed that strokes were most common among those who ate the least chops and cream. Although Japan's decline in cerebrovascular deaths could stem from other causes, these data suggest that nutritional shifts may have helped.

The unhappy irony is that Japan's health gains, paired with a low birth rate, threaten its economy. By 2060, 40% of Japanese could be 60 or older. That would produce more birthday cakes with 118 candles—and fewer great-grandchildren to blow them out.

Can you tell the difference between a glass of regular and diet soda? No, you can’t. 【小题1】. That’s where the trouble starts. Until recently, everything we have eaten contains some amount of calories.

So when we drink diet soda, the sweetness tricks our body into thinking it’s real sugar but when those energy­ packed calories don’t arrive, the insulin in our brain has nothing to store.

【小题2】. It’s called metabolic syndrome, which is a mix of conditions that include increased blood pressure, high blood sugar and weight gain which can increase the risk of diabetes, heart disease and strokes.

While drinking diet soda with the meal may sound like a tasty calorie­free alternative to plain water, this may be the worst time to drink it because the cheating calories in the diet soda could finally destroy the real calories we metabolize. 【小题3】.

Another problem could be the fact that artificial sweeteners in diet soda can be 10 to 100 times sweeter than sugar. 【小题4】. It’s like when you go to a party expecting loads of food and you end up with a handful of vegetables. You’re left unsatisfied and hungry.

In the same way, artificial sweeteners can leave our brains wanting more, which leads to increased appetite and potential weight gain. 【小题5】, maybe just stick to water.