Two in three adults could be obese by 2050, according to world heart report (EMB Sat 17th 00:00)
Access to healthy and affordable food, green spaces and a shift towards desk jobs and longer working hours have contributed to increasing levels of obesity, according to the newly released World Heart Report.
The report, compiled by the World Heart Foundation, also highlights that 'game changing' medical interventions such as weight loss jabs like Wegovy, are showing positive steps.
Globally the number of adults living with obesity has quadrupled since 1990 from 194 million to 878 million in 2022 – a figure that is only expected to rise.
Obesity is known to significantly increase the risk of several health conditions including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke and some cancers, according to the NHS.
It causes 3.7 million deaths per year and is a leading driver of deaths from cardiovascular disease, the report by the World Heart Federation warns.
High BMI accounts for nearly 10 per cent of all cardiovascular deaths worldwide, doubling to 1.9 million in three decades.
Children with a high BMI are 40 per cent more likely than those with low BMI to suffer with cardiovascular disease in midlife.
The economic impact of obesity is also rising. Costs to the global economy from obesity-related healthcare needs, productivity losses and death are estimated to amount to 2.2 per cent of global Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
That's just under $2 trillion per year and it could reach 3 per cent annually by 2060.
To tackle the problem some countries including the UK, Japan and Rwanda have taken steps to tackle obesity by limiting the density of fast-food outlets, particularly near schools and areas with childhood obesity and deprivation.
The report also highlights that 'game changing' medical interventions such as weight loss jabs like Wegovy, are showing positive steps.
'To address the growing implications of the obesity crisis, we urge action and targeted investment by governments around the world. Health systems must be strengthened to ensure broader access to, and affordability of, medical care for obesity and cardiovascular disease,' said Mariachiara Di Cesare, Professor of Population Studies and Global Health, and Director of the Institute of Public Health and Wellbeing at the University of Essex, and one of the report authors.
The report also suggests some health professionals hold negative biases about obesity and to view patients as 'non-compliant with health advice'.
It explains this can deter people with obesity from seeking medical care, including prevention and screening, putting their overall health at risk.
Authors also highlight that the perception that people living with obesity are 'lazy, gluttonous, and lacking in self-discipline" has long lasting psychological and physical consequences.
Children and young adults are especially vulnerable to bullying and discrimination based on their weight, and obesity is now the leading cause of such bullying in schools, affecting children's education and their mental health.
'Longstanding weight stigma and discrimination have hindered efforts to tackle obesity and contributed to the rise of CVDs, so it is urgent to address both,' Professor of Medicine at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and one of the report authors said.
'Any policy to tackle obesity must address health disparities and support underserved populations who face greater barriers to healthy living and obesity therapies, while taking care to not further entrench the stigmatisation of obesity,' he added.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Powys County Times
2 hours ago
- Powys County Times
Andrew Flintoff hails NHS staff who cared for him after car crash
Andrew 'Freddie' Flintoff has praised the 'love and compassion' of NHS staff who cared for him after his car crash at a Top Gear test track. The former international cricketer visited hospital workers who looked after him in the aftermath of the accident, which he described as 'the lowest I've ever been'. In December 2022, Flintoff sustained severe injuries while filming at the Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey for an episode of BBC show Top Gear. His surgeon described Flintoff's case as one of the most complex he has ever seen. The former international cricketer was airlifted to St George's Hospital in Tooting – a major trauma centre. 'I just want to say a massive thank you to all the staff at St George's,' Flintoff said. 'I came here probably the lowest I've ever been, in need of help and the expertise, the love, the compassion they showed me was incredible. 'I'll be eternally grateful – absolute superheroes.' Recalling the incident, consultant oral and maxillofacial surgeon Jahrad Haq, said: 'I was on call that day and received a phone call from the emergency department consultant. 'A lot of injuries are managed at a more junior level before escalating, so I knew this one was serious. 'Of all the trauma cases I've seen in over 20 years, this was among the most complex.' Shamim Umarji, consultant trauma and orthopaedic surgeon, said: 'It's very rewarding when patients come back and you get to see them not just as patients, but as people. It's a real privilege. 'When you see their recovery, you remember how important our job is. 'It was wonderful to see Freddie again and his visit gave staff a real boost. He spent a lot of time chatting to everyone and it meant a lot.' Kate Slemeck, managing director for St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: 'I'm incredibly proud of the care we provide at St George's. 'It's always heart-warming to hear from patients about the expert care, compassion and kindness they've received from our clinical and support teams, and this shows the lasting impact they have on people, long after they've left hospital.' During a documentary about the accident, Flintoff described how he used the split-second decision-making from his cricketing days to try to reduce the impact of the crash. He said he was 'pulled face-down on the runway' for about 50 metres under the car. The former England star said he thought he had died in the accident. For months after the crash Flintoff disappeared from public view and would leave his house only for medical appointments
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
MIMI SPENCER invented the 5:2 Fast diet with Dr Michael Mosley. Now she shares food routine that means she's happier in her own body than ever at 57... and a dark warning on weight-loss jabs
When I wrote about intermittent fasting in The Fast Diet with the late Michael Mosley in 2012, we often stated, sagely and with good reason, that weight-loss took effort, commitment, focus and loads of boring, difficult things that no one really wanted to do. There is no silver bullet, we said, no magic wand.
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
Trump revives presidential fitness test – will US students run a mile?
Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he is re-establishing the presidential fitness test, a way of assessing the fitness level of American students. The test was administered in public middle and high schools in the United States from 1966 to 2013, when the Obama administration replaced it with the presidential youth fitness program – a similar physical assessment program, but with more focus on health education. The health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr – vaccine skeptic and key figure in the 'Make America Healthy Again' movement – will be in charge of administering the test. In a statement reported by the AP, the White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, said the president 'wants to ensure America's future generations are strong, healthy, and successful' and that young Americans 'have the opportunity to emphasize health, active lifestyles – creating a culture of strength and excellence for years to come'. Below, what you need to know about the presidential fitness test. Initiated by Dwight D Eisenhower in 1956, the test changed over the years, but generally consisted of five parts: a one-mile run, a shuttle run (moving as quickly as possible back and forth between two points), pull-ups or push-ups, sit-ups and the sit-and-reach (sitting on the ground with your legs outstretched and seeing how far down your legs your hands can reach). According to the Harvard Health blog, the aim of the test was to 'assess cardiovascular fitness, upper-body and core strength, endurance, flexibility, and agility'. The test derives from the Kraus-Weber test for muscular fitness, an assessment developed by Dr Hans Kraus and Dr Sonja Weber. The test was administered to thousands of students across the US and Europe. Researchers found that European students performed significantly better than their American counterparts: 59.7% of US students failed at least one of the test's six exercises, compared with only 8.7% of European students. According to a 1955 Sports Illustrated article, when Kraus presented his findings at the White House, President Eisenhower declared the problem 'a serious one'. The president seemed less worried about children's health and wellbeing than he did their combat preparedness. According to the Department of Health and Human Service's 50th anniversary booklet about the test, 'his chief concern seemed to be the vulnerability to the red army'. 'Our growing softness, our increasing lack of physical fitness, is a menace to our security,' Eisenhower said. It doesn't seem so. A 2025 report in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that from 2007 to 2023, trends had 'significantly worsened' for 'child mortality; chronic physical, developmental and mental health conditions; obesity; sleep health; early puberty; limitations in activity; and physical and emotional symptoms'. And when it comes to competition with Europe, the US is faring even worse than it did before. Dr Christopher Forrest, one of the study's authors, told NPR that back in the 1960s, 'the chance that a child was going to die in the United States was the same as European nations'. But from 2010 to 2023, 'kids in the United States were 80% more likely to die', than those in Europe.
