74 per cent of British men to be overweight by 2030, experts report

The World Health Organisation (WHO) predicts that 74 per cent of men and 64 per cent of women in Britain will be overweight or obese by 2030.
Obesity is a key risk factor in the development of several health conditions such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke and some forms of cancer.
These figures for the UK have increased from 70 and 59 per cent respectively five years ago, with statistics from 57 countries based on estimates from the WHO Modelling Obesity Project. This project was based on data analysis from 2010 and projections which involved the UK Health Forum.
According to these figures, the UK has one of the worst obesity rates in Europe. In contrast, fewer than half of the populations in Belgium and the Netherlands will be overweight by 2030.
Ireland is predicted to have one of the worst obesity rates in the WHO European Regio, where the proportion of obese and overweight men is expected to rise to 89 per cent. The rise for women is estimated at 85 per cent.
While the NHS spends £6 billion a year on conditions related to obesity, these costs are expected to rise by £10 billion by 2030.
WHO experts report that Europe is likely to face an obesity crisis of enormous proportions by 2030 and that urgent preventative measures are needed.
Dr Laura Webber, Director of Public Health Modelling at the UK Health Forum, said: “Our study represents a worrying picture of rising obesity across Europe.
“Policies to reverse this trend are urgently needed. Although these is no silver bullet for tackling the epidemic, governments must do more to restrict unhealthy food marketing and make healthy food more affordable,” Webber added.