Health Secretary Suggests Less Harsh Treatment For Overweight Britons

London, England (AHN) - British Health Secretary Alan Johnson, in a major speech, has asked the public to be kinder to obese Britons.

In a major speech, Johnson said vilifying the overweight would not spur the obese to amend their behavior. He said a campaign to encourage healthy eating must be done in a more intelligent and less hurtful manner.

Obesity is considered the biggest threat to public health in the U.K. Experts forecast nine of 10 Britons and two-thirds of young British would be struggling with weight problems by 2050.

Meanwhile, the burden of these concerns on the nation's health services would be staggering at $99.87 billion (50 billion pounds) a year spent on treating obesity-related ailments such as diabetes, cancer, heart and liver diseases.

Johnson told the Fabian Society, "Just as the government has a moral duty to tackle poverty and exclusion, so it also has a duty to address obesity. But this is not a license to hector and lecture people on how they should spend their lives - not least because this simply won't work."

Johnson suggested a holistic approach to the problem by involving all sectors of society, retail, leisure, media, government and the voluntary groups.

Recent scientific studies have shown there is a genetic code that places half of the British population at greater risk of chronic ailments. Those who have that sequence are 4.4 pounds (2 kilograms) heavier than people who do not have that sequence.

U.K. statistics say obesity rates in the country has grown four times in the past quarter of a century, making the United Kingdom the most obese nation in Europe. Each year, 30,000 Britons die early from obesity-related conditions.