Chinese Paradox: Overweight, Yet Malnourished

A Chinese government foundation reports that 31.8 percent of the 3,885 elderly it surveyed were overweight and 11.4 percent were obese. However, the rate of malnutrition was still high among low-income households, the single and widowed, and those of advanced age. Nearly 13 percent suffered from anemia, the study by the China Development Research Foundation found. About 16 percent of elderly men in rural areas of six Chinese provinces suffered from malnutrition. As of the end of 2013, fifteen percent (202 million people) of China’s population were at least 60 years old.