Take gloves off - Fighting obesity

OBESITY, the escalating curse of our time, has changed many lives for the worse — and prematurely ended many more — and now researchers have warned that obese women should lose weight before trying to have a child or risk unnececssary complications.

Research teams at universities in Ireland, Britain and Sweden have warned that difficulties might include gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, pre-eclampsia, and depression. Their report also highlights the lack of support for women who are obese.

We are at the point with obesity that we were at with tobacco about two decades ago. We knew then that tobacco was a curse but did not have the confidence, or sense of urgency required, to tackle to epidemic through legislation. It is time we legislated to stymie those manufacturers who continue to produce the kind of food and drink that drive the obesity crisis. Personal responsibility, and exercise are essential too, but it seems irrational to curtail tobacco sales without applying the same logic to equally dangerous foods.

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