London: Here`s another reason why you
should shed the flab -- excess weight can damage your liver
more than alcohol, a leading doctor in Britain has warned.
In fact, according to Dr Christopher Hawkey, the
President of the British Society of Gastroenterology, obesity
will overtake alcohol as the main cause of liver cirrhosis in
the "not too distant future".
"Obesity is the biggest health problem we face this
century. It is almost certainly going to reverse the rise in
life expectancy, so we start living shorter lives than before.
"It will increase the risks of a number of cancers;
hip and knee surgery requirement is going to be vast; and it
is now projected to overtake alcohol as the biggest cause of
liver cirrhosis within two decades," he told `The Observer`.
A new poll of 1,959 people released today has found
that while the majority understood that obesity could cause
diabetes, high blood pressure and infertility, few understood
its link to certain cancers or liver problems.
New figures show a huge spike in the number of people
under the age of 65 dying of liver disease while deaths linked
to other problems, such as diabetes, cancers and stroke, have
fallen for that age group.
The average age of death from liver disease is 59
compared with between 82 and 84 for heart and lung disease and
strokes.
Dr Hawkey said the poll also showed that people don`t
realise other complications are related to obesity. "People
don`t know there is an epidemic of cancer of the oesophagus,
for example, which is very hard to treat. It is comfort eating
-- just like comfort drinking."
Dr Hawkey said the healthiest option is for people to
eat small portions of foods that release carbohydrates slowly.
He also advocates vegetarianism, or "semi-vegetarianism" for
those who can`t give up meat entirely.
Bureau Report