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27 April 2015 09:41
Bad diets are the main cause of obesity, researchers say
The main factor behind why people become obese is what they eat, and not that they do not get enough exercise, according to a new study.
Health experts have revealed in the British Journal of Sports Medicine that it is consuming too much sugar and carbohydrates that make people bigger, and bad diets are now more likely to cause it than a combination of drinking, smoking and avoiding physical activity.
Part of their proof is that the obesity problem has grown in the last three decades but people are still getting more or less the same amount of exercise as they were then.
People with health problems caused by their size can take out medical travel insurance when they go abroad.
Calorie problems
The researchers say the blame lies with the increasing amount of calories people are putting into their bodies.
They say the food industry gives people the "false perception" that it is more important to exercise than it is to eat healthily.
'Vested interests'
It is suggested that "vested interests" have affected what people are told about the effects exercise and diets have on obesity and diabetes.
The health experts are urging celebrities to stop endorsing sugary drinks and they say there should be no commercial links between sport and junk food.
It is also thought that counselling and education are not as useful in improving the health of the population as instilling a new food culture in Britain.
Healthy option 'must be easy option'
The experts want the easy choice to be the healthy one and suggest health clubs refrain from selling any kind of sugary drinks or junk food.
As many as two fifths of people whose body mass index (BMI) is normal will suffer from hypertension, cardiovascular issues and other abnormalities for the metabolism, according to cardiologist Dr Aseem Malhotra of Surrey's Frimley Park Hospital, the lead author of the research.
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