Major global study reveals the world is getting sicker and fatter

Soaring obesity rates over the past decade are now a leading cause of disease, according to a landmark new study—sparking experts to call for tougher measures to tackle the crisis.

Figures published in medical journal The Lancet’s Global Burden of Disease study reveal a huge shift has taken place in the medical landscape over the last ten years.

Their researchers noted a decline in the major risk factors of disease from exposure to air pollution, smoking and the number of people suffering from high blood pressure.

However the number of people at risk of disease from rising blood sugar levels and obesity is on the rise.

Experts warn that turning the tide on the issue could be a ‘generation away’ without drastic action.

The study, released today, revealed that there has been a 11 per cent increase in health loss—the number of people suffering from one of 375 diseases and injuries— since 2010.  

There has also been a six per cent increase in the number of people suffering from ill health as a result of high blood sugar levels.

In comparison there has been a 15 per cent decrease in high cholesterol and high blood pressure.

Professor Naveed Sittar, an expert in cardiovascular disease and metabolic health at the University of Glasgow told the Daily Mail: ‘This is not surprising. 

‘While we have seen improvement in the last 50 years in many risk factors of disease through Government policy and pharmaceutical advancements we have not tackled obesity.

‘People are living more sedentary lifestyles while consuming more calorific and processed foods.’

The research paper shows that while diets high in trans fatty acids and salt have fallen over the last three decades, the consumption of sugary drinks and processed meat has risen sharply.

‘Across the world we have seen public health action during this period on salt in food products and the same with fatty foods, but the same has not been done with calories or sugar and that needs to change if we are to see an improvement in this,’ says Professor Sittar.

He explains that the problem that this creates is twofold.

‘There is now a rise in people who have a chronic condition and are living with obesity, which makes the condition harder to treat, and then we have people who are suffering from a chronic condition as a result of obesity.’

High blood sugar levels are also an increasing risk factor for disease, which is linked to rising rates of obesity, says Professor Sittar.

Raised levels of blood sugar can result in a diabetes diagnosis and increases risk of cardiovascular disease and kidney disease

In recent years GLP-1 drugs have revolutionised diabetes and obesity care. However experts warn that these will not be enough to deal with the trend.

Professor Sittar said: ‘We will eventually see a decline in this with pharmaceutical options but this could take a generation.

‘Currently GLP-1 injections are expensive and not widely available for the masses through public health systems. Until we get an alternative in tablet form we will not see a material change in this trend.

‘That being said, we also need to look beyond medication, as we are not going to give these to children, so governments need to take drastic action on calories and sugar in the same way they have done on salt in recent decades.’

Despite falling in the last decade, high blood pressure is still the leading cause of ill health and as a result heart disease and stroke make up two of the the top three causes of death.

The second most prevalent risk factor causing disease is air pollution, followed by smoking, but both are on the decline.

The researchers also note that since the pandemic there has also been a rise in anxiety and depression as a risk factor for ill health.  

An editorial by The Lancet said: ‘The truth laid bare by these papers is that policies to address global health challenges do not accurately reflect the reality of the global burden of disease and disability today.

‘Countries will have to radically adapt their health systems to meet these new priorities, but the challenges are not insurmountable.’

Last year researchers found that there are now more than one billion people living with obesity worldwide, with one in eight of the population affected.

Around 159 million children and adolescents and 879 million adults have a weight that is so high relative to their height that it classifies them as obese.

Obesity rates among youngsters quadrupled globally between 1990 and 2022 – the latest year available – while rates among adults more than doubled, researchers found.

In the UK, around 16.8 million people are living with obesity – which includes 8 million women, 7.4 million men, 760,000 boys and 590,000 girls.

The obesity rate among British adults increased from 13.8 per cent in 1990 to 28.3 per cent in 2022 for women and 10.7 per cent to 26.9 per cent for men.

Over the same period, the rate more than doubled from 4.7 per cent to 10.1 per cent among UK girls and tripled from 4.3 per cent to 12.4 per cent for boys.