A new study from the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy says the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement resulted in an unhealthy diet shift for millions of Mexicans.

Since 1994, when NAFTA went into effect, Mexico’s citizens have moved away from traditional food staples and embraced “energy-dense, processed foods and animal-source foods—which tend to be higher in fats and added sweeteners,” according to the study Exporting Obesity

Researchers found that Mexicans’ average daily energy obtained from fat went up from 23.5% to 30.3%. People also consumed more refined carbohydrates, and significantly more soda (37.2% more).

Today, based on the Body Measurement Index (BMI), nearly 70% of Mexico’s population (aged 15 and older) is overweight or obese.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

To Learn More:

Exporting Obesity (by Dr. David Wallinga, Karen Hansen-Kuhn and Sophia Murphy, Institute for Agriculture & Trade Policy)

Last Supper Paintings Reflect the New Obesity (by Noel Brinkerhoff and David Wallechinsky, AllGov)