Obesity crisis as two in three of us are classed as overweight
EXPERTS REVEAL NINE SIGNS OF A FOOD ADDICTION
TWO thirds of all adults aged over 18 in the East Midlands are classified as overweight or obese, according to new data by Public Health England.
The latest data represents figures for 2020/21 and is the highest recorded percentage of the country’s population since records began in 2015/16.
Detailed analysis by food addiction experts at the UK Addiction Treatment Group shows that in 2015/16, 64.1% of the region were classified as overweight or obese. This figure, they say, dipped slightly in 2016/17 to 63.7% but has risen every year since, and now stands at 66.6%.
For England, this figure stands at 63.5%, making the East Midlands collectively more overweight or obese than the rest of the country.
The area in the region where the greatest percentage of overweight or obese people live is north Northamptonshire, and the place where the fewest percentage of overweight or obese people live is Rutland, according to UKAT’s analysis of Public Health England’s new data.
It is estimated that overweight and obesity-related conditions across the UK are costing the NHS an enormous £6.1 billion each year, and the pressure on our hospitals is greater than ever.
The experts at the UK Addiction Treatment Group have put together a list of nine ways in people you can identify if they might have a food addiction:
Eating when you are low or upset to try and make yourself feel happy
Compulsively eating even when you are not physically hungry
Eating beyond the point of fullness
Lethargy and headaches due to overconsumption of sugar, fat or salt
Obsessively thinking about your next meal or when you can binge
Intense feelings of guilt following episodes of overeating
Attempting to hide your overeating from others by eating in secret
Feeling as if you are not in control of your cravings
Attempting to compensate for binges through dieting or purging
Nuno Albuquerque, consultant treatment lead at food addiction specialists UKAT said: “Unfortunately, the East Midlands looks to be in an obesity health crisis, with rates of obesity rising steadily over the last few years. Ultimately, as a region, people are eating and drinking too many calories.”
“We recognise that there’ll be many different reasons for this daily over-consumption; for some, it’ll be a lack of understanding as to the nutritional value in what they eat, hence the recent introduction of calories labels on menus in restaurants.”
“But what we know first-hand is that for some, over-eating is not a choice. Certain types of foods, like highly sugary foods, react with the brain’s dopamine receptors to create feelings of pleasure.”
“Once your brain becomes used to receiving excessive amounts of sugar, you might start to experience intense cravings, which can result in a food addiction.”
“Like all behavioural addictions, food addiction is treatable with the right support as it’s likely that the person will be suffering with an underlying psychological issue, like low self-esteem or as a result from trauma. We urge anyone suffering to simply ask for help.”
Latest NHS figures revealed by the UK Addiction Treatment Group suggest that across the East Midlands, hospital admissions where obesity was a factor were 2,343 per 100,000 in 2018/19, up from 1,893 per 100,000 and the highest recorded in history.
Comparatively in England, the hospital admission rate per 100,000 in 2018/19 was 1,615, however, if everyone who are overweight or obese lost just 2.5kg each - equating to one-third of a stone it could save the NHS £105 million over the next five years.
Most worryingly, PHE revealed that one in three children leaving primary school are already overweight or obese.