News / UK and world by Press Association December 20, 2018, 12:02 pm FacebookTwitterLinkedInWhatsAppEmail Send us a story Sign up to our Daily newsletter Extremely obese people are needing a far higher dose of radiation during X-ray examinations than people of normal weight – increasing their risk of cancer, new research has shown. A study of 630 severely obese patients, who had undergone surgery for weight loss, found they all received much higher doses of radiation during X-ray than normal weight people. This was due to the increased amount of tissue to be imaged, the researchers said. They concluded that the overall risk of cancer caused by the extra radiation was more than double (153%) that of normal-weight people undergoing an X-ray. However, the study authors stressed that the risk of cancer from an X-ray is low and they are recognised as saving countless lives by detecting abnormalities in the body. In 2015/2016, 22.6 million X-ray procedures were … [Read more...] about ‘Higher dose of X-ray radiation needed for obese patients raises cancer risk’
Obesity
Removal of supermarket checkout snacks could help tackle obesity, study suggests
0 Have your say Shoppers at supermarkets which removed sweets and crisps from checkouts purchased almost a fifth less of the unhealthy products, a study has found. Researchers at British universities found 17 per cent fewer small packages of sugary confectionery, chocolate and crisps were bought and taken home from supermarkets after they introduced policies to limit unhealthy foods at the tills.A “dramatic reduction” in the number of purchases of unhealthy food eaten “on the go” was also revealed in the study, funded by the Department of Health and Social Care Policy Research Programme.Shoppers made 76 per cent fewer purchases of sugary confectionery, chocolate and crisps from supermarkets with the policies, it was observed.Six of the nine major supermarkets introduced checkout food policies between 2013 and 2017, according to the research, which anonymised the data.Dr Jean Adams, from the Centre for Diet and Activity Research at the … [Read more...] about Removal of supermarket checkout snacks could help tackle obesity, study suggests
Obesity figures for P1 children are above the national average
Too many young children are proving to be heavyweights, with over one in four primary one pupils in the isles classed as being overweight or obese. Figures in a report before Monday’s children and families committee showed 26.1 per cent of youngsters in their first year of primary education were carrying too much weight. That compares to a national average of 22.9 per cent. The stats, from 2016/17, were shown in a five year active Shetland strategy report which went before councillors on Monday. Sport and leisure manager Neil Watt was questioned by Davie Sandison, over the figures. The Shetland Central member wanted to know what could be done to target the problem. Mr Watt said discussions had been held with sportscotland. He said there was recognition of a need for education around healthy lifestyles to move into early years. “If we get them at that early stage then hopefully we can set them off on the right track,” he said. • See Friday’s Shetland Times … [Read more...] about Obesity figures for P1 children are above the national average
Childhood obesity is a fake epidemic
News & Analysis by Christopher Snowdon 18th December 2018 Share This Twitter Facebook Google+ Email The NHS released the latest childhood obesity statistics earlier this month. Officially, 16.5 per cent of children aged between two and fifteen are ‘obese’. The rate rises with age, with a quarter of 13-15 year olds classified as obese. Contrary to breathless claims by campaigners and the media, childhood obesity is neither ‘soaring’ nor ‘spiralling’. The official rate peaked at 19 per cent in 2005 and has hovered between 14 and 17 per cent ever since. I emphasise the word ‘official’ because there is a world of difference between a child being classified as obese by the government and a child actually being obese. I have explained before that childhood obesity is measured very differently to adult obesity. A child whose Body Mass Index would have put them in the heaviest two per cent of their age group in 1990 is … [Read more...] about Childhood obesity is a fake epidemic
Engineer suing BA for £10k after ‘obese passenger left him pinned to side of cabin’ on 12-hour flight
A civil engineer is suing British Airways for damages of up to £10,000 after he sat next to a passenger so "obese" it left him "pinned to the side of the cabin". Stephen Prosser, 51, claims he suffered soft tissue damage after a traveller "wedged" himself into the seat next to him on a flight from Bangkok to London Heathrow on January 10 in 2016. Mr Prosser, of Tonypandy, South Wales, claims that the obese passenger, who he described as 6ft 5in and 23 stone, was "so large" that his body fat "spilled" into his seat by several inches. His lawyers say the engineer was "forced to adjust his body and sit in an awkward and uncomfortable position" for the whole 12 hour and 40 minute flight. Mr Prosser said he was left suffering symptoms from his injuries for the following three months - and is now seeking damages. But British Airways deny the claims - stating Mr Prosser "did not not display any signs of injury" when leaving the flight. Mr Prosser, who is 5ft 2in and weighs 10 … [Read more...] about Engineer suing BA for £10k after ‘obese passenger left him pinned to side of cabin’ on 12-hour flight