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Rather than laziness and overeating, people become dangerously fat because of ‘health inequalities, genetic influences and social factors’, the Royal College of Physicians claims.
The organisation said it wants obesity recognised as a chronic illness so very overweight people can receive specialist care.It is important to the health of the nation that we remove the stigma associated with obesity,’ said Professoer Andrew Goddard, president of the RCP.
‘It is not a lifestyle choice caused by individual greed, but a disease caused by health inequalities, genetic influences and social factors.’
Obesity is a growing problem in the UK and around the world, with almost half of Britons and one in five people worldwide expected to be extremely fat by 2045.
Research last year also found a quarter of adults don’t do enough exercise, with 1.4billion of us leading inactive lives.Excess fat puts people at a higher risk of developing heart disease, cancer and type 2 diabetes, which increases the chance of stroke and kidney failure.
But the RCP is shifting some blame away from individuals, suggesting the environments they grow up in have a big influence on their weight.
Professor Goddard said: ‘It is governments, not individuals, which can have an impact on the food environment through regulation and taxation, and by controlling availability and affordability.
‘Governments can also promote physical activity by ensuring that facilities are available to local communities, and through legislation and public health initiatives.’
As well as encouraging prevention, the RCP wants ‘to see a change to public discourse about obesity, so that those with the condition are no longer blamed for it’.
The announcement comes just a day after Public Health England revealed English children eat 18 years’ worth of sugar before their 10th birthday.
PHE said the average 10-year-old has already consumed 304lbs (138kg) of sugar over their lifetime – more than the maximum recommended amount for an 18-year-old.
Cancer Research UK has warned obesity could overtake smoking as the biggest preventable cause of cancer among women by 2043. The NHS maintains that obesity is caused by someone eating more calories than they burn off through physical activity.
More people are becoming obese because modern lifestyles have growing amounts of processed foods high in sugar and fat, and people spend more time sitting down while travelling, at desks at work and on sofas when they get home.
The number one way to fight obesity is to control your calorie intake (women should eat 2,000 per day and men 2,500, on average) and eat fewer fatty or sugary foods.
And people should get a bare minimum of 2.5 hours of moderate exercise – such as fast walking, tennis, jogging or swimming – every week.