Sugar (particularly in beverages) and lack of exercise are the main contribution of child obesity increase worldwide.
Don’t blame the potato.
Sugar is as bad as it is because it's almost instantly absorbed. Plenty of carbohydrates are the same.
Fiber is what separates healthy carbs from unhealthy carbs, heck, even sugars.
An apple is healthy even though it's loaded with sugar because it's also loaded with fiber.
Apple juice is unhealthy because it's basically just the sugar.
Were I to guess, what's changed in italy is what's changed in the US. Flour has become highly refined, removing all the fiber that used to be present. This gives flour nice properties in terms of baking and pasta making, but it also removes a vital part of pasta.
Yes this.
Also reduced vegetable intake. In many cases the fiber from vegetables can offset some refined carbs intake.
Fiber wraps and gelates fast carbs, and they reach later stages of processing were good bacteria lives and feeds on carbs.
As I recall from others sources, these bacteria produce drugs too, like barbiturate. They make host happier long after meal.
and they weren't eating half a kilo of them, deep fried, in a sitting (e.g. fish and chips or McD's french fries) for breakfast lunch and dinner
those are not potatoes.