OBESITY and diabetes were the focus of an entertaining and informative talk at The Wharf last week by Professor Gareth Williams, emeritus professor of Medicine at the University of Bristol.

Professor Williams said obesity is caused primarily by the overconsumption of calories and lack of exercise, overlaid in some cases on a genetic tendency to gain weight more than others. Serious obesity is now common — 40% of UK adults — and is particularly worrying in schoolchildren.

The life expectancy of an obese primary school child will be significantly reduced, and the beginnings of what used to be called 'late onset' diabetes is now appearing in children – which also increases their risk of early heart attacks and strokes.

Professor Williams said exercise undertaken by children had been reduced by sedentary activities like playing computer games and watching television, and the sale of school playground and sports facilities in many places has made things worse. Sedentary activities like television – particularly when food or soft drinks advertising appears on the screen – also lead to overconsumption of calories by children. 

The audience at The Wharf, many of whom had been educators or health workers, was particularly concerned about this area and many of the questions at the end of the talk addressed this issue of how to prevent obesity damaging young people's life expectancy and health.

Various suggestions were put forward by the audience on how to reduce consumption of sugary drinks and fast food but they should be supported by some forms of government control and education on the sale of potentially health-damaging products such as sugary drinks and calorie-dense foods.

Dr Ann Pulsford, chairman of the Friends of the Wharf, who organised the talk, said: 'Although Tavistock has been proud of the fact that we are one of the few towns where a McDonalds outlet has closed down, this is not the norm, particularly in the US where some advertising claims that no urban American  should live more than a four minute drive from a McDonalds outlet.

'Professor Williams observed that this encourages two of the greatest factors in obesity the lack of exercise and the overconsumption of calories from fast food.

'I was impressed by the analogy that to burn off a light KitKat you would have to walk up the stairs of the one of the tallest buildings in the world — the 1,600-foot World Financial Centre in Shanghai. Professor Williams' talk was certainly food for thought — and  perhaps Tavistock can lead the way in lobbying for a Tavistock programme to improve the health of children with more exercise and less calories.'

The next talk is on Monday, March 24 at 2pm from writer Elizabeth Maslen, Queen Mary College London on Doris Lessing, about whom she has just published a book.