Obesity: the shape of things to come?

Do we really have an obesity problem or is it just another case of the authorities telling us how to live our lives?

Britain is now the fattest country in the EU. It's official. This doesn't mean we just need to lose a few pounds or are slightly on the podgy side. No - 23 per cent of us are clinically obese. This compares with 12.9 per cent in Germany and 9.4 per cent in France. And the future looks even worse. The latest forecasts, published in the Foresight Report, suggest that on current trends, by 2050 60 per cent of British men, 50 per cent of women and 26 per cent of children will be obese.

 

And like obesity itself, the price we pay is huge. The cost of treating obesity-related diseases is expected to rise to £45.5billion a year by 2050. The National Audit Office estimates that obesity currently costs England 18million sick days and 30,000 excess deaths from diseases such as type 2 diabetes, strokes, heart disease and certain cancers. 

 

In the past ten years, the number of obese children has tripled, and according to the International Obesity Taskforce, there are around 2million overweight schoolchildren in the UK. More than 80 per cent of obese ten- to 14-year-olds will become obese adults. If this pattern continues, we could be facing a serious national health crisis in ten years. So serious, a House Of Commons Health Committee concluded in 2004 that ‘This will be the first generation where children will die before their parents as a consequence of childhood obesity.'

 

This will be the first generation where children will die before their parents as a consequence of childhood obesityWhere have we gone wrong?

For a nation obsessed with dieting, eating disorders and size-zero models, how are we still piling on the pounds? We're far more aware of the importance of eating healthy foods than our parents were, yet we're twice the size. Obesity expert Dr Ian Campbell says the cause is simple: we consume far more calories than we expend through activity. ‘We have more foods to choose from than ever before. We can do almost everything from home. We don't have to shop, as we can have things delivered. And with sophisticated entertainment systems, we don't even have to leave the house to amuse ourselves.'

 

When we do venture out, the problems continue. ‘We sit in the car listening to ads for fast food and drink. Everywhere we look, we're at the mercy of advertising. We go to the cinema and our children drink a litre of some sugary drink while their heads are buried in a bucket of popcorn. It's going to be very difficult to change the behaviour of the whole nation,' he says. But change it we must if Britain is to lose its label of ‘the sick man of Europe'. ‘Portion sizes, snacking and casual eating on the move are all contributory factors to our larger-than lifestyle,' Dr Campbell explains. ‘Even plate sizes, which used to be 9in across, are now being manufactured to 11in.' The obesity epidemic seems to have crept up on us, and we can always console ourselves by looking around and finding someone bigger.

 

In the postwar 1950s, the picture of health was very different. Women then used up to three times as many calories as they do now simply by going about their daily chores. In the 1950s, the average woman ate 1818 calories a day but burnt off 1512. Very few people had washing machines, so laundry - including sheets and nappies - was all done by hand. Cars were too expensive for the average family, so people walked or cycled much more. Television was yet to make its impact and couch potatoes were but a twinkle in programme-makers' eyes. And since no one had a fridge or freezer, shopping was done daily - which, in turn, meant fresh seasonal produce.

 

This is in striking contrast to the Noughties mum, who has gadgets galore to make her life easier. Before she drives the kids to school, she'll put the washing in the machine, put the dishes in the dishwasher and grab a croissant on the way to work. And with portion sizes being almost twice as big as they were 50 years ago, it's no surprise that today's women eat an average of 2178 calories yet they burn off only 556. 

 

End of the hourglass
In the 1950s, the heyday of screen goddesses Marilyn Monroe and Sophia Loren, the average woman had a curvy but slender figure, with a 27.5in waist. Since then, our waists have widened to an average of 34in, and a predicted 42in in 50 years!

 

Dr Ian Campbell, medical adviser to www.thedietplate.com, explains: ‘We've seen a massive shift in not just total weight, but also the distribution of weight. Women are not as fit as they were 50 years ago, and have less lean muscle mass, so the extra weight today has to be fat. This is backed up by looking at where most of the extra weight is distributed. There's a slight rise in bust and hip size, but the most significant rise is in the size of women's waists. We think of women being 'pear shaped', meaning they hold their body fat around the hips and buttocks. Men, on the other hand, have more 'apple-shaped' bodies, with fat collecting in the abdomen, and this is the fat that causes heart disease and type 2 diabetes. The changes in women's waistlines mean that we are now seeing more 'apples' than 'pears', and this means they are at greater risk of fat-associated diseases. If the trend continues, and Government research suggests it will, we can expect the women of 2058 to be even bigger than today. I would predict that the typical woman's shape will be much more round in the middle - unless we do something about it, of course.'

 

Are you at risk?

Body mass index (BMI) is the measure of body fat based on height and weight. The results apply to both men and women. To calculate your BMI, go to NHS Direct's BMI calculator.

 

Underweight: Less than 18.5

Normal: 18.5 to 24.9

Overweight: 25 to 29.9

Obese: 30 or more

 

So are we to blame?

Not necessarily, according to Secretary Of State For Health Alan Johnson. ‘In the past, tackling obesity has always been a matter of personal willpower, but people in the UK are not more gluttonous than previous generations. The chilling reality is that modern life makes us overweight. In a sense, we are the victims of our economic success. Modern transport systems, sedentary jobs and convenience food all make life more comfortable but are all also to blame.

‘We will continue to focus on children and we're aiming to reverse the growth in obesity so that by 2020 the proportion of overweight children has dropped to the levels of 2000. We are investing almost £100million a year to improve school food.'

The Government is clearly determined to get involved, even down to the controversial National Child Measurement Programme that weighs and measures each child in Reception (ages four to five) and Year 6 (ten to 11) classes. These figures will enable analysis of trends in growth patterns and obesity. Parents can request their child's result, but the Government is prepared to take the scheme further by sending the results to all parents automatically.

 

Dr Campbell doesn't think this is a good idea. ‘There's a real risk of stigmatising the child. It's far better to address the problems of size and diet with the class as a whole.' But he does go on to applaud plans to increase physical activity in schools from two to five hours a week.

 

How bright is the future?

The answer could lie in the recently discovered FTO, or obesity gene. British scientists are working on the theory that the gene may be able to explain why some people have a propensity to be fat. Although the reasons for putting on weight remain the same - too much food, too little exercise - it could account for why those with the gene variant do so more easily and find it harder to lose weight.

 

10 ways to lose weight (and keep it off)

Adopting a nutritious diet of between 1200 and 1500 calories a day enables most people to lose weight. Follow these tips from Cancer Research UK and Weight Concern:

1 Keep to your meal routine. Try to eat at roughly the same times each day, whether it's three or six times a day.

2 Choose reduced fat. Stick to reduced-fat versions of foods, and use them sparingly as some are still high in fat.

3 Walk off the weight. Aim to walk 10,000 steps every day. A pedometer will help you keep count.

4 Pack a healthy snack. If you snack, choose a healthy option such as fresh fruit or low-calorie yogurts.

5 Look at labels. Be careful about food claims. Check the fat and sugar content on food labels when shopping.

6 Take caution with portions. Don't heap food on your plate, and think twice before having seconds.

7 Be upstanding. Break up your sitting time. Stand up for at least 10 minutes of every hour.

8 Think about drinks. Choose water or sugar-free squashes, and reduce your alcohol intake.

9 Focus on your food. Slow down. Don't eat on the go or while watching telly. Eat at a table if possible.

10 Don't forget five a day. Have at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day.

 

 

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