Irish girls sixth in the world for ‘dangerous fat’

IRISH girls rank among the worst in the world for carrying dangerous stomach fat.

Almost half of schoolgirls in the country are ‘overfat’, putting them at risk of diabetes and cancer in later life.

Even through these children may appear to be of a normal weight, a waist circumference of more than half their height is enough for their weight to be considered dangerous.

In the rankings of the world’s 30 most developed countries, girls in Ireland were sixth on the list, with 48.7% carrying an unhealthy amount of fat around their abdominal.

Celebrity doctor Dr Eva Orsmond said that she is ‘not surprised at all’ by these figures, and that it’s clear from just seeing schoolchildren on the street that expanding waistlines are becoming a major issue among Irish children.

Speaking to the Irish Daily Mail, the former Operation Transformation consultant said that while a number of factors are contributing to the problem, one of the main factors is the ‘liberal’ attitudes of parents.

‘I think the worst thing in Ireland is that the parents are in denial,’ she said.

‘They are worried that if they make an issue of their weight or food, their child will start having some psychological issues, which I think is absolutely ridiculous.’

The United States were at the top of the ratings with 51.9%, closely followed by the UK at 51.4%.

Irish boys came in ninth in the rankings, with 49.2% of boys deemed to be carrying an unhealthy amount of fat around their abdominal, compared to the US at 51.4%, and the UK rate of 48.7%

Obesity is usually measured using body mass index (BMI), calculated using weight and height.

However, there are concerns that this may not be the best way to measure whether someone is a healthy weight because it does not distinguish between lean body mass and fat.

The study says up to half of people with excess body fat can slip through the net using the measurement.

Dr Eva said that the increasing risk of cancer and diabetes are just some of the impacts obesity has on children, and that having to physically carry the weight can damage a child’s health.

‘The research, which was published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health, believe that up to 76% of the world’s population may be overfat.

‘Parents are in denial’