Obesity is a greater threat for millennials than cannabis. It’s absurd | Simon Jenkins

Millennials look set to be the fattest generation of Britons ever, yet the government continues to dodge the issue

Seven out of 10 millennials are now expected to be “overweight or obese” by their late 30s – compared with an already alarming half of baby-boomers. The well-documented burden on the NHS from type 2 diabetes alone will be crippling. Already only Iceland and Malta are fatter in western Europe. It is therefore a legitimate concern of the state. Yet the state is dodging the issue. The lobbies – Big Food and Big Drink – are too powerful.

Obesity is caused not so much by an unhealthy “lifestyle” or lack of exercise. It is caused by unhealthy eating and drinking, as lung cancer and respiratory illness were caused by smoking. We tackled that crisis. Steady declines in lung diseases over 40 years can be directly related to less smoking, related to tougher regulation. In the US, men stopped smoking faster than women, and fewer died.

Related: Millennials set to be the fattest generation of Britons, research shows

Continue reading... February 26, 2018 at 05:07PM