The warning by Professor Dame Sally Davies, Britain's Chief
Medical Officer (CMO), that overweight and obesity in women has now
become so widespread that it should be treated as a "national risk"
alongside threats such as terrorism and climate change, has focussed
attention on a problem that has grown alarmingly over the past few
decades. Apart from its other implications, both for the nation and for
the individuals concerned, attention has again been drawn to the fact
that a large part of the cost of the UK's National Health Service (NHS)
is incurred in treating conditions that are preventable and
self-inflicted.
According to the CMO, obesity in younger women during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage and premature birth, and can result in children carrying a higher risk of heart disease and of becoming obese in their turn. Official figures show that 51 per cent of women of optimum child bearing age (25 to 34) are overweight or obese, and the level rises to 63 percent in women between 45 and 54. In these older women, it is well understood that obesity seriously increases the risk of diabetes and heart disease as well as arthritis and other problems with the lower limbs.
The generation born at around the time of World War II is establishing new records for longevity. This has been achieved partly by the early success of the NHS in reducing death rates from traditional killers like cancer and heart disease, but has resulted in increasing numbers of old people with diseases of senility that previous generations did not live long enough to encounter. Thus already overburdened, the National Health Service is now faced with coping with the increase in ill health in the succeeding generations due to overweight and obesity. According to one expert, this combination of adverse factors could bankrupt the NHS, and raise fears that the younger generation could die before their parents.
In previous generations, many deaths were caused by smoking. The number of people smoking has vastly reduced since the 1960s and this has contributed to the longevity of the "war babies" generation. Consumption of alcohol and junk food, however, has greatly increased in subsequent generations, and the industries that produce and retail these products, especially with regard to two-for-one and other special offers, have been criticised for contributing to the obesity crisis. The British Government and people are proud of their National Health Service but constantly concerned about its ever rising cost. Dame Sally Davies makes it clear that the future of the NHS is in everybody's hands, and more precisely: what they carry to their mouths!
According to the CMO, obesity in younger women during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage and premature birth, and can result in children carrying a higher risk of heart disease and of becoming obese in their turn. Official figures show that 51 per cent of women of optimum child bearing age (25 to 34) are overweight or obese, and the level rises to 63 percent in women between 45 and 54. In these older women, it is well understood that obesity seriously increases the risk of diabetes and heart disease as well as arthritis and other problems with the lower limbs.
The generation born at around the time of World War II is establishing new records for longevity. This has been achieved partly by the early success of the NHS in reducing death rates from traditional killers like cancer and heart disease, but has resulted in increasing numbers of old people with diseases of senility that previous generations did not live long enough to encounter. Thus already overburdened, the National Health Service is now faced with coping with the increase in ill health in the succeeding generations due to overweight and obesity. According to one expert, this combination of adverse factors could bankrupt the NHS, and raise fears that the younger generation could die before their parents.
In previous generations, many deaths were caused by smoking. The number of people smoking has vastly reduced since the 1960s and this has contributed to the longevity of the "war babies" generation. Consumption of alcohol and junk food, however, has greatly increased in subsequent generations, and the industries that produce and retail these products, especially with regard to two-for-one and other special offers, have been criticised for contributing to the obesity crisis. The British Government and people are proud of their National Health Service but constantly concerned about its ever rising cost. Dame Sally Davies makes it clear that the future of the NHS is in everybody's hands, and more precisely: what they carry to their mouths!
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