12:28pm UK, Monday December 27, 2010
British men are piling on the pounds despite repeated warnings that being overweight can lead to serious illness, researchers say.
Health experts fear a 'ticking time-bomb' for male health
Research from Oxford University showed the average man was 17lb (7.7kg) heavier in 2000 than he was in 1986.
Women are not much better, with an average weight gain of 12lb (5.4kg) over the same period.
While men have put on weight due to poor diet and a lack of exercise, women have piled on the pounds by simply eating too much.
NHS figures for 2008 in England, the most recent available, show 25% of men were classed as obese, compared with only around 7% in 1986/7.
Dr Peter Scarborough, who led the latest study, said: "There could be a number of reasons for the reduction in exercise.
"One partial explanation could be that men spend more of their working lives sitting at desks now - manual careers are less common than they used to be."
Women aren't quite as bad as men but they're not far behind
Tam Fry, from the National Obesity Forum, said: "It was figures like these that gave the UK its first obesity wake-up call in 2001.
"Sadly, the initiatives of the last 10 years have done nothing to improve the upward surge of the epidemic.
"There are no current plans on offer to ensure we don't hit the same rise again in this decade."
Dr Mike Knapton, of the British Heart Foundation, which commissoned the study, said: "This research suggests a ticking time-bomb for male health.
"Obesity is a major risk factor for diabetes, heart disease and stroke and contributes to premature death and poor quality of life."
:: The study was published in the British Journal of Nutrition.
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