Obesity - the health facts

obesity facts Obesity is the health issue on the tip of everybody's tongue, not only because it is on the increase, with over half the UK population being obese or overweight, but because it poses many risks for our well-being. We look at the most recent research and give the bare facts on why the nation is getting fatter

According to the latest report published by the Food Standards Agency and the Department of Health in February 2004, a quarter of men and one-fifth of women are obese, in addition 41 per cent of men and 33 per cent of women are overweight.

A February 2004 report by the Royal College of Physicians, the Faculty of Public Health and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health has come up with some shocking findings about obesity in the next generation. Obesity in two to four year olds has almost doubled from five to nine per cent. This figure has trebled in six to 15 year olds. If these trends continue, they estimate, at the very least, one-third of adults will be obese by 2020 - one-fifth of boys and one-third of girls.

Obesity is defined by the Body Mass Index (BMI) (the weight in kgs divided by height in square metres). Obesity is a BMI reading of over 30. It is when excess body fat is at such a level that it poses an adverse health risk. An overweight measurement falls between a BMI of 25 and 29.9.

These days sedentary attitudes are more common - a couch potato and computer-screen lifestyle. According the Faculty of Public Health, the UK's school children get the lowest amount of physical activity in Europe.

Many people have difficulty maintaining a healthy weight due to specific medical conditions. Common culprits include under-active thyroid hypothyroidism, causing a drastic slump in metabolism or polycystic ovarian disease (PCOS) where imbalances in hormones increase insulin levels, which can lead to weight gain.

It is said that children of obese parents are twice as likely to become overweight themselves. In fact, certain people are naturally more prone to weight gain or find the pounds harder to lose because our genetic make-up decides how we break down fat as individuals.

A recent National Obesity Forum survey found that people living in the North of England and Scotland eat larger portions than those living in the South East and East Anglia.

They also report that women are twice as likely to feel guilty about eating larger portions of food than men. 41 per cent of women felt guilt pangs compared to 21 per cent of men.

In 1998 over 18 million sick days were attributed to illnesses associated with obesity (National Obesity Forum).

People suffering from obesity have a shorter life expectancy, living an average of nine years less that people of a healthier weight (National Obesity Forum).

Not only can obesity affect life expectancy it can be responsible for conditions such as: cardiovascular disease, diabetes II, stroke, cancer, joint problems such as osteoarthritis and high blood pressure.

The National Audit Office estimates that health problems associated with obesity cost the NHS at least half a billion pounds each year.

In the 1960s, scientist James Neel, came up with his own theory for obesity - he said it could be caused by a 'thrifty gene'. The Pima Indians in Mexico and Arizona were a tribe with heavy bodyweights who had suffered bad times and starvation. Neel believed that they developed this gene to help them store energy and maintain a hefty weight as a means of survival.

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