How sad. How is the NHS to cope with this increase of future illness if people cannot control what they put in their face.
BMI should be a statuary statistic on the self assessment form. Tax the fat / sugar as we would tobacco.
Obesity among British girls highest in western Europe - Telegraph
BMI should be a statuary statistic on the self assessment form. Tax the fat / sugar as we would tobacco.
Obesity among British girls highest in western Europe - Telegraph
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Among adults aged 20 and above, 66.6 per cent of men and 57.2 per cent of women were either obese or overweight, while obesity affected 24.5 per cent and 25.4 per cent respectively.
Professor John Newton, of Public Health England, said: "The levels of obesity in the UK - and indeed, across the world - are of great concern.
"The challenge of obesity is at the heart of current debate about the health of the nation and we are working closely with local authorities, the NHS and the voluntary and community sector to tackle this complex issue."
The study documented a "startling" surge in obesity and overweight rates in 188 countries around the world.
Between 1980 and 2013 the number of overweight and obese people rose from 857 million to 2.1 billion.
This represents an increase of 28 per cent for adults and 47 per cent for children.
The statistics emerged as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) came under fire for recommending that the state fund millions of slimming classes, while rejecting drugs which could extend the lives of the terminally ill.
Guidance published on Tuesday suggests two thirds of the population should be offered 12-week courses run by firms such as Weight Watchers.
Yesterday patients groups said they were “appalled” that Nice had recommended such a use of taxpayers’ funds, while rejecting a succession of cancer drugs.
Roger Goss, from Patient Concern said: “I don’t think Nice has any concept of how the public feels about these sorts of decisions; a body like Nice should be prioritising life-extending treatments for cancer, not frittering taxpayers money away on the sorts of classes people should pay for themselves, if they want them.”
Since 2007, Nice has rejected almost two thirds of the cancer drugs it has considered, despite evidence that treatments could extend lives.
The patients group also said it was concerned about the way Nice took its decisions, and the evidence base considered before it recommended in favour of weight management classes.
In coming to its decisions yesterday, Nice examined the effectiveness of number of weight management classes, run by the private, voluntary and state sector, before endorsing those run by Weight Watchers, Slimming World, and Rosemary Conley – which is now in administration.
It found that on average, those who were referred by GPs to attend a 12-week course of classes run by the three chains, lost 3 per cent of their body weight, and kept it off for at least one year.
However, Nice did not compare the approach with any other type of diet or weight loss programme, including methods which the public could try for free.
Mr Goss said: “It concerns us that they don’t really look at the evidence; people can and do lose weight just by eating less and exercising more, but Nice only compared one method which costs the taxpayers’ money.”
The rationing body has been repeatedly criticised by cancer charities for failing to fund a succession of life-extending treatment.
The situation became so desperate that in 2010 the Government created a “cancer drugs fund” so that patients could apply for treatments even if the rationing body refused to fund them.
Last March it rejected the breast cancer treatment everolminus (Afinitor) which costs about £36,000 per course, on grounds of cost. Nice said the drug was no better than aternatives.
Despite the fact trials showed it could stop tumours spreading for almost eight months, twice as long as alternatives. In the same month it turned to axitininb (Inlyta) for kidney cancer, which costs £3,000 a month, and helped some patients live an extra three years.
Earlier this month, following an outcry from charities and patients’ groups, it performed a U-turn on plans to restrict the use of a prostate cancer drug, enzalutamide (Xtandi).
Andrew Wilson, chief executive of the Rarer Cancers Foundation, said: “I can see why Nice have recommended in favour of these weight management programmes – obesity is one of the leading causes of cancer, so I would be in favour of more focus on prevention, but we have been very disappointed by some of the decisions Nice has taken on drug treatments for a number of cancers.”
A spokesman for Nice said: “Preventing ill-health is as important as treating ill-health. The aim of the new NICE obesity guideline is to improve people’s lives and is cost effective.
"It will help reduce the risk of the main diseases associated with obesity, for example: coronary heart disease, stroke, hypertension, osteoarthritis, type 2 diabetes and various cancers (endometrial, breast, kidney and colon).
“The number of people who are overweight or obese in England is rising. Obesity not only damages their health but dealing with the long-term consequences of obesity costs the NHS around £5.1 billion each year.”
Among adults aged 20 and above, 66.6 per cent of men and 57.2 per cent of women were either obese or overweight, while obesity affected 24.5 per cent and 25.4 per cent respectively.
Professor John Newton, of Public Health England, said: "The levels of obesity in the UK - and indeed, across the world - are of great concern.
"The challenge of obesity is at the heart of current debate about the health of the nation and we are working closely with local authorities, the NHS and the voluntary and community sector to tackle this complex issue."
The study documented a "startling" surge in obesity and overweight rates in 188 countries around the world.
Between 1980 and 2013 the number of overweight and obese people rose from 857 million to 2.1 billion.
This represents an increase of 28 per cent for adults and 47 per cent for children.
The statistics emerged as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) came under fire for recommending that the state fund millions of slimming classes, while rejecting drugs which could extend the lives of the terminally ill.
Guidance published on Tuesday suggests two thirds of the population should be offered 12-week courses run by firms such as Weight Watchers.
Yesterday patients groups said they were “appalled” that Nice had recommended such a use of taxpayers’ funds, while rejecting a succession of cancer drugs.
Roger Goss, from Patient Concern said: “I don’t think Nice has any concept of how the public feels about these sorts of decisions; a body like Nice should be prioritising life-extending treatments for cancer, not frittering taxpayers money away on the sorts of classes people should pay for themselves, if they want them.”
Since 2007, Nice has rejected almost two thirds of the cancer drugs it has considered, despite evidence that treatments could extend lives.
The patients group also said it was concerned about the way Nice took its decisions, and the evidence base considered before it recommended in favour of weight management classes.
In coming to its decisions yesterday, Nice examined the effectiveness of number of weight management classes, run by the private, voluntary and state sector, before endorsing those run by Weight Watchers, Slimming World, and Rosemary Conley – which is now in administration.
It found that on average, those who were referred by GPs to attend a 12-week course of classes run by the three chains, lost 3 per cent of their body weight, and kept it off for at least one year.
However, Nice did not compare the approach with any other type of diet or weight loss programme, including methods which the public could try for free.
Mr Goss said: “It concerns us that they don’t really look at the evidence; people can and do lose weight just by eating less and exercising more, but Nice only compared one method which costs the taxpayers’ money.”
The rationing body has been repeatedly criticised by cancer charities for failing to fund a succession of life-extending treatment.
The situation became so desperate that in 2010 the Government created a “cancer drugs fund” so that patients could apply for treatments even if the rationing body refused to fund them.
Last March it rejected the breast cancer treatment everolminus (Afinitor) which costs about £36,000 per course, on grounds of cost. Nice said the drug was no better than aternatives.
Despite the fact trials showed it could stop tumours spreading for almost eight months, twice as long as alternatives. In the same month it turned to axitininb (Inlyta) for kidney cancer, which costs £3,000 a month, and helped some patients live an extra three years.
Earlier this month, following an outcry from charities and patients’ groups, it performed a U-turn on plans to restrict the use of a prostate cancer drug, enzalutamide (Xtandi).
Andrew Wilson, chief executive of the Rarer Cancers Foundation, said: “I can see why Nice have recommended in favour of these weight management programmes – obesity is one of the leading causes of cancer, so I would be in favour of more focus on prevention, but we have been very disappointed by some of the decisions Nice has taken on drug treatments for a number of cancers.”
A spokesman for Nice said: “Preventing ill-health is as important as treating ill-health. The aim of the new NICE obesity guideline is to improve people’s lives and is cost effective.
"It will help reduce the risk of the main diseases associated with obesity, for example: coronary heart disease, stroke, hypertension, osteoarthritis, type 2 diabetes and various cancers (endometrial, breast, kidney and colon).
“The number of people who are overweight or obese in England is rising. Obesity not only damages their health but dealing with the long-term consequences of obesity costs the NHS around £5.1 billion each year.”
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