Study predicts marked increase in global calorie requirements

A new study suggests how the actual quantity of food that people would like to eat is likely to change. Researchers worked on the results of the rising index of Body Mass Index (BMI), which evaluates weight in relation to height, and an increasing body height which could lead to a marked increase in global calorie requirements.The results have been published in the journal PLOS ONE.In most countries, the average body height and body size are increasing. More needs to be eaten to maintain a higher weight. Development economist Professor Stephan Klasen, from the Faculty of Business and Economics at the University of Gottingen, and his then doctoral student, Lutz Depenbusch, have designed a scenario to investigate how calorie intake could develop between 2010 and 2100.Earlier changes in the Netherlands and Mexico were used as a benchmark. "The developments in these countries are very pronounced," says Depenbusch, "but they do represent a realistic scenario." Even if both BMI and height ..