Over the past 30 years, the number of overweight and obese people has trebled. If the obesity crisis is not addressed, one in three adults in the UK could face potentially life-threatening illnesses by 2040. At present, two in three adults are either obese or overweight in the UK.

Checking your body mass index (BMI) will help determine whether you are obese or not. This tool divides your height in metres squared by your weight in kilograms.

According to the BMI calculator, you are only considered overweight if your BMI is over 25, while 40 is deemed morbidly obese.

What the study found A recent new study has shown that obesity has become a heavier burden on our economy than war and armed violence.

According to the McKinsey Global Institute, a renowned consultancy firm, the obesity epidemic is costing the UK around £47 billion a year. Smoking currently tops the list, costing the UK economy over £52 billion a year.

However, if the government does not take drastic action to fight obesity, it could easily end up costing a lot more than smoking over the next ten years. For now, the problem generates an annual loss equal to 3% of the UK’s GDP.

The UK is spending roughly £6 billion yearly on treating conditions related to obesity and just over £10 billion on people with diabetes.

That is pretty shocking when compared to how much the country spends on obesity prevention programmes: £636 million.

What action needs to be taken?

“Today obesity is jostling with armed conflict and smoking in terms of having the greatest human-generated global impact,” the research study noted. Obesity has fast become a global problem and there’s no hiding from the facts.

The MGI is asking for an urgent response from global retailers, food and drink companies and particularly the government to enforce new laws to help fight the problem.

Many Britons are now demanding answers from the government as to what steps are being carried out to fight the obesity epidemic.

It’s not only the UK that has a high population of obese people. MGI’s research study also revealed that nearly 30% of the world’s population, over 2.1 billion people, are obese or overweight. According to estimates, half the global population could be in the overweight and obese category by as early as 2050.

What preventions need to be taken?

MGI have listed a number of potential interventions to help fight the problem. These include: Controlling portion sizes in fast food packaging Fast food meals have got considerably larger with an emphasis on getting more for your money. There always appears to be multiple special offers on junk foods, and it’s almost impossible to find a reasonably sized single serving anymore.

Even if you did find one, you’ll most probably end up saving more money by buying the larger serving. This is almost always the case on the savoury, snack and fizzy drink aisles at local supermarkets.

Updating the school curriculum to incorporate more exercise The obesity crisis is not only limited to adults. In children aged 6-19, it has reached about 15%, which is almost quadruple the amount it was 50 years ago.

More exercise will help to keep kids fit and healthy and it will also teach them valuable lessons about eating healthier foods when they become older.

Introducing healthy meals in the workplace Rather than nipping over to the nearest fast food outlet or relying on a vending machine for snacks, workplaces are being encouraged to introduce healthier foods in their canteens.

While it may be tempting to snack on junk food during work breaks, there are much better alternatives like fruit, nuts, rice cakes, homemade popcorn, oat cakes and small bags of baked crisps.

In the meantime, Public Health England (PHE) are at hand to back weight management services. PHE are known for helping local authorities to clamp down on fast food outlets. They also work endlessly to stop particular food manufacturers from putting healthy food labels on unhealthy foods. For matters to improve, the food industry has to be held responsible for unethical marketing strategies when it comes to food advertising.

Sources: www.121doc.co.uk