Avocado, quinoa…cancer: Millennials set to become fattest generation on record
Millennials are on course to become the fattest generation on record. A staggering three-quarters of ‘Generation Y’ will be obese or overweight by the age of 40.
Despite fad diets and Instagram health stars shooting to fame among the health-trend generation, the majority are actually putting themselves at serious risk, new figures show.
An over-indulgent culture has been blamed on the rising weight of people born between the early 1980s and the mid-1990s. So much for the avocado trend sweeping the ‘food conscious’ age group which guzzles down quinoa. After tweeting about it.
Cancer Research UK has revealed 6 million Britons in the age group are on course to struggle with weight gain. The figures are described as “horrifying,” and mean millennials are the most overweight generation since records began.
Health fears are growing as obesity is now a leading cause of cancer, second only to smoking. Early indications reveal 74 percent of millennials are on course to have weight issues.
“The figures are horrifying. They are the result of successive governments paying only lip-service to tackling an obesity crisis which was already headlines 20 years ago,” said Tam Fry, from the National Obesity Forum, the Telegraph reports.
And the links to cancer are growing. Currently, excess weight is linked to 13 types of cancer, including bowel and breast cancer.
“Being overweight is the UK’s biggest cause of cancer after smoking, but most people don’t know about this substantial risk. If more people become aware of the link it may help spare not just millennials, but all generations from cancer,” said Cancer Research UK’s director of prevention, Alison Cox, according to the Telegraph.
Professor Linda Bauld, Cancer Research UK’s prevention expert, said: “Research shows that our evolving environment has a vital role to play in the obesity crisis. Clever marketing tactics by the food industry and greater access to unhealthy food are all likely to have contributed to the rise in obesity rates.
“Extra body fat doesn’t just sit there; it sends messages around the body that can cause damage to cells. This damage can build up over time and increase the risk of cancer in the same way that damage from smoking causes cancer.
“While these estimates sound bleak, we can stop them becoming a reality,” she added, according to the paper. “Millennials are known for following seemingly healthy food trends, but nothing beats a balanced diet. Eating plenty of fruit, vegetables and other fiber-filled foods like wholegrains, and cutting down on junk food is the best way to keep a healthy weight.”
Health Survey for England figures, which have shocked health professionals, show 40 percent of those aged 16 to 24 are now overweight or obese. That’s along with 52 percent of those aged 25 to 34.
Public Health England is set to put out public health alerts warning people to stick to 400 calories for breakfast and 600 for each lunch and dinner.
At the current rate, 74 percent are set to hit issues between the ages of 35 and 44. The alarming rise is up from 54 percent among the post-war generation.
