Fueled by the rising popularity of soft drinks and fast-food restaurants, Mexico has become the second fattest nation in the world.

Fueled by the rising popularity of soft drinks and fast-food restaurants, Mexico has become the second fattest nation in the world. Mexican health officials say it could surpass the US as the most obese country within 10 years if trends continue.

More than 71 percent of Mexican women and 66 percent of Mexican men are overweight, according to the latest national surveys.

With diabetes now Mexico's leading cause of death, activists and leaders hope to renew efforts to crack down on junk food and other fatty-food consumption and encourage citizens to exercise more. But it will be a tough battle, as industry groups are expected to put up a fight.

No one knows better the country's affection for fattening foods than Lidia Garcia Garduno , who's run a fruit stand in central Mexico City for the past 10 years.

"People don't eat right anymore," said Garcia Garduno "Instead of coming here and purchasing a fruit drink, they prefer to walk across the street and buy fried pork chops. That's why so many Mexicans are obese."

In 1989, fewer than 10 percent of Mexican adults were overweight. No one in the country even talked about obesity back then, said Barry Popkin , a University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill professor who studies global weight gain. Experts were too concerned with poverty and hunger.

"It certainly snuck up on them," said Popkin, who's working with the Mexican health ministry to develop strategies to address obesity throughout the country. " Mexico has probably had the most rapid increase of obesity in the last 15 years."

Mexican Health Secretary Jose Cordova , who launched a new health campaign Feb. 25 , agrees: "We have to put the brakes on this obesity problem."

由于软饮料和快餐厅越来越受欢迎，墨西哥目前已成为全球第二大肥胖国家。墨西哥的卫生官员们称，如果这一趋势持续下去，墨西哥将在十年内赶超美国，成为第一大肥胖国。

据墨西哥全国范围内的最新调查结果显示，超过71%的女性和66%的男性体重超标。

目前，糖尿病是墨西哥的第一大死亡原因。社会活动家和权威人士希望相关部门能继续努力，抵制垃圾食品和其它高脂肪食品，并鼓励人们多锻炼身体。但由于一些行业组织会出面抗议，这注定是一场“攻坚战”。

说到墨西哥人对于增肥食品的喜爱，没有人比利迪娅•加西娅•加杜诺体会更深。利迪娅在墨西哥中部的墨西哥城经营一家水果店已有十年之久。

加西娅•加杜诺说：“人们的饮食越来越不健康。现在到我这来买果汁饮料的人越来越少，都跑到街对面的快餐店去买炸猪排去了。这就是为什么这么多墨西哥人面临肥胖问题的原因了。”

据北卡罗莱那大学查伯尔山分校全球肥胖问题专家巴里•波普金教授介绍，1989年，墨西哥仅有不到10%的成年人体重超标。那时甚至没人谈论肥胖问题。专家们都一门心思地去想如何解决贫穷和饥饿问题。

“他们没想到肥胖问题也随即而来。”波普金教授目前正与墨西哥卫生部合作，制订解决全国范围肥胖问题的战略。他说：“在过去15年中，墨西哥可能是肥胖率增长最快的国家。”

墨西哥卫生部部长约塞•科多瓦于上月25日启动了一项新的健康计划。他也认为，“控制肥胖势在必行。”

Vocabulary:

snuck(sneak) up on:偷偷跟着某人