Obesity ‘Could Bankrupt The NHS’

The rising levels of obesity could bankrupt the NHS if left unchecked, a British Medical Journal report warns. University of Glasgow expert Naveed Sattar said the cost of treating obesity to the health service was 9%.

But he warned this would rise as the number of obese adults rose from one in five to one in three by 2010. He said health experts, schools and the food industry had to take proactive measures, including a helpline for people who bought larger clothes.

The number should be promoted with all clothes sold with a waist of more than 40in (102cm) for men, 37in (94cm) for boys, 35in (88cm) for women, and 31in (80cm) for girls.

Professor Sattar, an expert in metabolic medicine, said research had linked obesity to a range of diseases and disorders, including heart disease, cancer, depression, back pain, diabetes and skin problems.

He said: “The problem of rising prevalence in obesity may get much worse – rates could climb still further, bankrupting the health system and leading soon to reductions in life expectancy.”

He said while individuals “clearly have some responsibility for their health”, the rest of society should also play more of a role.

He said the food industry should own up to the role they play through advertising and schools should be doing more to promote good diets and lifestyles.

He also called for obesity to become a core part of medical training and for public health consequences to be considered “for all decisions made in public life”.

The government published a Public Health White Paper two years ago which promised to put the issue at the top of the agenda.

This came after a report by former NatWest chief Derek Wanless claimed unless the nation became healthier, spending on the NHS would increase by £30bn over the following 20 years.

Professor Anthony Barnett, head of the diabetes and obesity research group at the University of Birmingham, said the dire prediction could well come true.

“It is heading in that direction. The World Health Organization recently suggested 70% of deaths will be due to obesity related illnesses in the future.

“In the UK, we have one of the worst problems and that is and will continue to put a terrific strain on the health service.”