Cost of Obesity Treatment Set to Rise to Nearly £10bn by 2050

The cost of obesity-related illnesses is set to hit nearly £10bn by 2050 according to forecasts.

With costs set to spiral to £9.7bn, a recent report is calling for action to reverse the trend of weight gain in British society with the cost of obesity currently reaching an estimated £6.1bn.

Worldwide levels of obesity have nearly tripled since 1975, with 64% of adults in England classed as either overweight or obese.

The report released by a coalition of health organisations and experts - the Obesity Health Alliance (OHA) - called on the Government to fully implement existing policies, including the Health and Care Bill which contains the 9pm watershed on junk food ads on TV.

They also want existing policies to go even further, with the phasing out of other forms of junk food marketing including child friendly packaging and sponsorship of sports teams by junk food producers.

Commenting on the findings of the review, John Maingay, director of policy and influencing at the British Heart Foundation, said; “After years of focusing on education and awareness measures, the UK Government has started to move in the right direction with an obesity strategy which focuses on making the healthy option the easy option.

“We must now build on this with forward thinking policies, such as taxing companies to encourage them to produce healthier food.”

Obesity can lead to a number of conditions, including type-2 diabetes, heart disease, breast and bowel cancer, and strokes, while psychological problems, such as depression, can develop as a result of the effect on quality of life.

Body Mass Index (BMI) is a useful indicator of a healthy weight, with a healthy BMI being between 18.5 and 24.9.

A measurement of 25 to 29.9 is classed as overweight, while 30 to 39.9 is obese. Anything above that is severely obese.