Brief Summary
This video explores the Cook Islands, the most obese country in the world, and investigates the reasons behind this phenomenon. The video highlights the drastic shift in the islanders' diet from traditional, healthy foods to Westernized, processed foods, coupled with their slow metabolisms, as the primary factors contributing to the obesity crisis.
- The Cook Islands, a remote island nation in the Pacific Ocean, has an obesity rate of 55%, with 91% of the population being overweight.
- The video explores the history of the Cook Islands, highlighting their traditional diet of fresh fish, vegetables, and fruits, which has been replaced by Westernized, processed foods due to the influx of tourism and reliance on imported goods.
- The video emphasizes the role of genetics, specifically the slow metabolisms of Pacific Islanders, in exacerbating the obesity problem.
The video begins by introducing the Cook Islands, a remote island nation in the Pacific Ocean, with a population of 177,000 people. Despite its small size, the Cook Islands have an alarmingly high obesity rate of 55%, making it the most obese country in the world. The video highlights the prevalence of morbid obesity, with more people being morbidly obese than healthy. Diabetes and heart disease are the leading causes of death in the Cook Islands.
The video showcases the beauty of the Cook Islands, featuring stunning visuals of the island's landscape and a glimpse into the local culture. The video highlights the vibrant nightlife and the availability of various activities, including a party bus. However, the focus shifts to the underlying issue of obesity, with the video stating that the statistics are accurate and visible throughout the island.
The video delves into the reasons behind the Cook Islands' high obesity rate. The narrator explores the common misconceptions surrounding the issue, such as the belief that the diet or lack of exercise is the primary cause. The video debunks these assumptions, highlighting that the diet is similar to other countries and that exercise is readily available.
The video traces the history of the Cook Islands, revealing that the island nation was once a self-sufficient paradise with a healthy diet of fresh fish, vegetables, and fruits. However, the introduction of tourism in the 1970s led to a drastic shift in the islanders' lifestyle and diet. The video explains that the influx of tourists resulted in the locals abandoning their traditional farming and fishing practices, relying instead on imported goods from New Zealand and Australia. This shift brought with it a wave of processed and unhealthy foods, leading to a dramatic increase in obesity rates.
The video explores the genetic factors contributing to the Cook Islands' obesity crisis. It highlights that Pacific Islanders have the slowest metabolisms on Earth, a result of their ancestors' adaptation to periods of food scarcity. This genetic predisposition, combined with the Westernized diet, has created a perfect storm for obesity in the Cook Islands. The video concludes by emphasizing the impact of Westernization on the health of the Cook Islands, highlighting the need for awareness and action to address this critical issue.
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Transcript
Full transcript of “I Travelled To The Fattest Country In The World”. Click a timestamp to open the video at that moment. Need another video? Use the YouTube transcript generator.
0:00 if you ask anyone what the most obese country in the world is pretty much everyone says this America America America I'd say it's called be us say the US the US United States but what if I were to tell you that's wrong you see America is actually number 14 in the world with 36% of people being morbidly obese so the question I'm sure you all wondering now what is number [Music] one let me introduce you to this country a remote island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with a population of only 177,000 people but an obesity rate of 55% that means that there's more people here morbidly obese than healthy 91% of the population are overweight diabetes
0:47 and heart disease are the two main causes of death here ladies and gentlemen let me introduce you to Cook Islands the most obese country on the planet okay I want to check this place out I am so intrigued by it but the problem is it's on the other side of the world like I literally couldn't be any further away however I have found a route which is going to take 46 hours you taking the pit um it's going to be a long couple of days what you're currently seeing is three flights two layovers and 46 hours of flying condensed into 5 Seconds thank you very much okay we've made
1:36 it Island now the island itself is absolutely beautiful I got up to a hell of a lot including this party [Music] bus yep literally just a bus with a party on it it was it was mad I worked out a hell of a lot and all in all if I was coming here for a holiday I would have loved [Music] it but I'm not here for a holiday I'm here to find out why this place is so obese did you know that the Cook Islands is the most obese country in the world h no I did not know that you didn't know that yes you did heard it yeah I don't know whether I i' trust that yeah yeah yeah really well I wouldn't be surprised no I didn't know that know that the answers were completely mixed some people knew about the Obesity crisis and
2:23 some people didn't okay so I've been driving around this island for a while and Visually in person seeing it firsthand I got to say this the statistics are definitely true from normal people to people on mopz to even police officers I'd say two out of every three people I see are quite substantially overweight yeah while I was here I couldn't understand why that was like there was nothing outstanding which made me think oh yeah this is why they're all so obese the diet here was just like at home full English Burgers pizzas and while yes this food isn't necessarily healthy but it's just like everywhere else in the world last star I think Le people are exercising this is wrong as well exercise has nothing to do with it either there's tons of gyms on this island and sports is very popular so what actually is the true reason why
3:11 this country is the most obese in the world to understand we need to go back in time Cook Islands was once a paradise isolated from the rest of the world where the Islanders were fully self- sustainable fishing and farming their own Foods raw fish vegetables nuts coconuts and fruits were the staple of their diet you see actually only up until recently Cook Islands was a very in shaped country it's only in the last 50 years where the Obesity has just skyrocketed so what is the reason for this Sudden Change one word westernization after building their airport in 1970 tourism exploded in Cook Islands people from New Zealand and Australia flocked here and that started resulting in the locals scrapping the
3:56 farming and fishing and instead making more money by focusing on accommodating the tourists the problem is now they didn't produce their own food they had to rely on New Zealand and Australia to import it in for them and what type of food does a Western Country like New Zealand and Australia eat crappy unhealthy processed food so in less than 50 years the diet has done a uturn from raw fish and fresh fruit all the crap you see in supermarkets today driving around cook Island right now let me show you the next five food places we see on this trip have you noticed since when you
4:42 were younger the diet and the eating style change in Cook Islands at all definitely yeah there was more house uh household preparation food you know everyone sat down together innate and now it's more like burgers and chips right a lot of takeaways just easy food really more than anything else you guys um do you know where the best place for like traditional food is is there like a restaurant maybe that would no restaurant that does the traditional food everywhere here is now just fast food in fact to the extent that it's actually cheaper to buy a bottle of coke here than a bottle of [Music] water but on top of the fact that almost 100% of food here is now imported the Islanders have another
5:28 problem genetic ICS you see Pacific Islanders have the slowest metabolisms on Earth this is because in the past as an isolated island they had to go long periods of time without food meaning their bodies are genetically programmed to store as much flat as possible so that's it the Western Foods taken over mixed with the extremely slow metabolisms is the reason why this beautiful country is the most obese on the planet [Music]
