Here we outline some of the shocking facts about the effects of obesity on our childhood, health and way of life. The evidence is overwhelming… read on.
- Over 25% percent of worldwide cases of cancer are caused by being overweight
- Obesity is the second biggest killer in the USA after cigarettes
- An obese person’s life is shortened by 9 years on average
- Obesity costs approximately $100 billion per year due to medical bills, sickness benefits and costs to employers
- Over 300,000 deaths a year in the States are linked to obesity related diseases
- Almost 20% of teenagers have the first sign of heart disease in the form of blocked coronary arteries
- Over 15% of children aged between 6 and 11 are now classed as obese and run a high risk of developing potentially fatal diseases
- It is predicted that in the next 10 – 15 years, obesity will overtake smoking as the No. 1 cause of preventable deaths in the USA and the UK
- If you are morbidly obese, you only have a one in seven chance of achieving normal life expectancy
- The number of adolescents suffering from obesity has more than tripled in the last 20 years
Is There Another Way?
The above facts are really shocking aren’t they? This is the reality but there could be another one if we all help to create it. Imagine you’d just read this instead:
- Children are the healthiest they’ve been in 50 years – experts put the turnaround down to new healthy diets and enthusiasm for sport and exercise
- Incidence of cancer and diabetes halved due to drop in obesity
- Sharp drop in obesity linked to high achievement in schools
The above sounds better doesn’t it? You may even think it’s an impossible dream but as Victor Hugo said “There is nothing like a dream to create the future. Utopia today, flesh and blood tomorrow.”