A piece in today's Wall Street Journal discussed the growing "curviness" of Japanese women. According to the Journal: "Japanese stores that used to keep just two or three sizes of clothing on hand are rushing to stock larger sizes. Juicy Couture, known for its figure-hugging terrycloth tracksuits, opened one of its biggest stores in Tokyo last year. And Tokyo's high-end Isetan department store, which used to relegate its bigger sizes to one corner, now prominently features larger items from designers such as Ralph Lauren, Diane von Furstenberg and DKNY."

The average Japanese woman's hips are 35 inches, about an inch wider than those of women a generation older. The emergence of companies like Kripsy Kreme and McDonald's, along with a generally more western diet is a key contributor to the trend. This got me to thinking: As America imports products from the developing world at a record pace, could our chief export become obesity? And if it does, how might investors make money from that trend? Here are a couple of my picks for companies that could look to capitalize on the globalization of obesity:

Casual Male Retail Group (NASDAQ: CMRG): With its current stable of more than 500 stores in the United States, Canada, and England, Casual Male is the largest specialty retailer of big and tall men's apparel. Could the company follow fast food chains around the world in a quest to corner the market on clothing for expanding waistlines?

Nutrisystem (NASDAQ: NTRI): This company markets monthly food packages containing breakfasts, lunches, dinners and desserts, which are delivered to your door every day. As people in foreign countries gain a taste for fattening American foods, will they also want to lose weight with low-calorie American foods?

These are just some of my ideas for capitalizing on a global trend, and you should always do careful bottom-up research before you invest. I don't own any of these.