Figure file: obesity health costs rival smoking and drinking

TREATING obesity-related disorders costs as much or more than illnesses caused by aging, smoking and problem drinking.

It accounts for 2% of the national health expenditure in France and Australia, more than 3% in Japan and Portugal and 4% in the Netherlands.

A review of research into the economic causes and consequences of obesity presented at the 14th European Congress on Obesity showed that in 2003 up to $96.7 billion (€79.1bn) was spent on obesity problems in the United States.