Study Estimates More than Half of UK Adults Will Be Obese in 2050
A major obesity study has just been released in the UK, projecting a gloomy future:
The extent of the obesity epidemic was laid bare yesterday as it was disclosed that more than half of adults and a quarter of children will be dangerously overweight by 2050.
The problem has reached such proportions that it will take 30 years to reverse, the Government’s chief scientific adviser Sir David King warned.
A report into the future trends in obesity compiled by 250 experts has produced a gloomy picture in which those who are a healthy weight will be in the minority.
Obesity is projected to cost the country £45 billion a year by 2050. By then, only 10 per cent of men and 15 per cent of women will be the right weight for their height.
Sixty per cent of men and 50 per cent women aged 20 to 60 are predicted to be obese. That compares to 24 per cent at present.
The study also found that being seriously overweight can cut life expectancy by as much as 13 years in contrast to smoking which reduces life by an average of 10 years.
Sir David King said if it was not tackled, the impact on the country’s economy and well-being would be huge.