People who live in nations where most residents were thin, at least as measured against the tremendous number of obese Americans, are getting fatter.

Bloomberg blames this, in part, on the number of fast food restaurant locations opened in emerging markets by U.S. companies such as McDonald’s Corp. (NYSE: MCD) and Yum! Brands Inc. (NYSE: YUM). Americans, in essence, are damaging the health of large numbers of people overseas.

According to the news agency:

Eating less home cooking, and consuming more processed snacks and sugary drinks, the average man is gaining weight in Mexico, Brazil and Chile faster than the worldwide average, according to the Waistline Index compiled by Bloomberg. The women are too, except in Brazil, where they are holding to the global average. In all three countries, fast food is a relatively new option.

Shares of McDonald’s are inactive in premarket trading, after closing yesterday at $99.25 in a 52-week range of $83.31 to $100.50. Yum! Brands shares, also inactive in premarket trading, ended at $67.54 yesterday and has a 52-week range of $59.68 to $74.75.

Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.