An alarming report from the European Union’s statistical office this week claimed that 23% of British women are clinically obese, topping the European league table. British men are not much better with 22.3% being classified as obese – just behind Malta with 25.1%.
Obesity is measured using the body mass index (BMI) which is a mathematical function determined by weight and height. A person with a healthy BMI would measure between 19 and 25 on this scale. Anyone with a BMI over 25 would be classified as overweight and anyone measuring 30 and above is classified as clinically obese.
According to medical sources, being obese can take around 9 years off your life and can lead to a host of health complications such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, infertility and depression. Obesity has also been linked to a number of cancers such as colon, kidney and stomach. It is obviously in the interest of every overweight person to lose weight but the problem seems to be getting worse rather than better! What is causing this obesity epidemic? And why is it so much worse in the UK than anywhere else in the developed world other than that US?
The massive increase in the incidence of obesity in recent years is blamed on poor diet and the reliance on labour saving devices around the home. People also lead extremely busy lives, with many people spending a great deal of time in sedentary jobs with little time for exercise. Although efforts have been made by the food manufacturing industry to make processed foods healthier, it is all too easy to rely on products which are high in fats, sugars and salt as the staple base when you lead a busy life with little time to prepare meals from scratch with natural ingredients. But does this not demonstrate lack of imagination and little bit of laziness? Is it really so difficult to cook a healthy meal and take a bit of exercise? If you are out at work all day and have a family to look after then maybe it is. However, what is completely clear is that nobody wants to be fat so there seems little point in these EU surveys as they do not come up with any solutions. People already know what causes obesity so we have to just let them get on with their lives and make decisions for themselves, fully aware of the consequences.