Obesity in Ireland: Time to fight this epidemic

THE process of achieving weight loss by reducing the size of the stomach with a gastric band or through removal of a portion of the stomach may seem almost barbaric but for some overweight individuals it is the only realistic option to give them the chance of a healthy future.

There is, of course, a financial cost to the health service in paying for what is known as bariatric surgery. But, as a survey conducted by the Irish Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism and the Association for the Study of Obesity shows, it is a cost that must be met.

Otherwise we risk an even greater cost not just in financial terms but in the health of the nation. It is frightening to think that Ireland has one of the highest rates of obesity in Europe but one of the lowest rates of treatment.

We are quickly becoming the fattest nation in the EU and if current trends continue 33% of Irish adults will be clinically obese by 2025 and the annual cost of treating obesity-related diseases, like type 2 diabetes, will reach €2.1bn.

Irish obesity experts say their studies show that the HSE can recoup the cost of bariatric survery within two years and then go on to save millions on medication costs to treat chronic conditions like diabetes.

It is clear that we need urgently a national obesity treatment programme as a matter of urgency to halt this epidemic. It will not only save money, but — more importantly — lives.