"Thai food has always included plenty of sugar and deep-fried options, so that’s not new. Is it more dairy, cakes, and sweet drinks creeping into the average diet? "
This is 90 pct of the problem. It starts with the sweet stands outside the school gates and goes from there. Plus fast food everywhere. Yes Thais have always had a sweet tooth, that's not the underlying cause, they love to eat regularly all day, that's always been the way, but its mainly food choices that are making a fat nation.