A third of world’s population is at risk of weight-related death

Almost a third of adults and children around the world are overweight, a study has found.

Many are at risk of potentially fatal diseases despite not being classified as obese, say researchers.

Of four million deaths attributed to excess body weight in 2015, 40 per cent were cases in which body mass index (BMI) fell below the obesity threshold.

The findings, reported in the New England Journal of Medicine, highlight a “growing and disturbing global health crisis”, said the authors.

Dr Christopher Murray, one of the researchers from 0 Excess body weight is behind a global health crisis the University of Washington, said: “People who shrug off weight gain do so at their own risk – risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and other life-threatening conditions. Those halfserious new year’s resolutions to lose weight should become year-round commitments to lose weight and prevent future weight gain.”

The findings, from 195 countries and territories around the world, are partly based on data from the Global Burden of Disease study which examined the health impact of more than 300 diseases and types of injury.

Other studies on the effects of excess weight on numerous cancers also contributed to the results.

In 2015, about 2.2 billion children and adults worldwide were overweight.