1.   As prospering consumers overseas develop a taste for sweetened foods and beverages, many will wind up as well-padded as the average American.

2.   Blame it on the fructose, the most common sugar in sweetened foods like candy and soft drinks.

3.   Monsanto, meanwhile, is revising the Nutrasweet formula and betting on a growing global sweet tooth as consumers in developing countries spend more on sweetened food and beverages.

4.   To make matters worse, most heavily sweetened foods are also high-fat foods.