Obesity will be an important investment theme for fund managers over the next 25 years, a Bank of America Merrill Lynch report said.
The bank’s Globesity – The Global Fight Against Obesity report has created the Global Fighting Obesity Exposure Stocklist-50+, which identifies pharmaceuticals and healthcare, food, commercial weight loss, diet management & nutrition, and sports apparel & equipment as investment areas.
“Global obesity is a mega-investment theme for the next 25 years and beyond. Obesity may be the most pressing health challenge facing the world today and efforts to tackle it will shape thinking by policy makers and in boardrooms around the world,” said Sarbjit Nahal, equity strategist at BofA Merrill Lynch Global Research.
The banks says that globally, 500 million people are obese and 1.4 billion are overweight. Obesity is the fifth greatest cause of death, leading to 2.8 million fatalities each year. Worldwide prevalence of obesity doubled between 1980 and 2008, according to the World Health Organization. By 2030, 65 million more Americans will be obese if current trends continue. Obesity in Europe has tripled in 30 years.
©2012 funds europe
