Member states urged to raise awareness of obesity 'epidemic'

A senior British physician has warned of the dangers of weight loss surgery, saying that if it goes wrong it can be the cause of suicide.

Speaking in parliament on Tuesday, David Haslam said that, generally, weight loss surgery can be an effective way of helping people suffering from obesity.

But he cautioned that it can result in "devastating" consequences if it goes wrong.

Haslam, a GP and clinical director of the National Obesity Forum in the UK, was speaking at an event to mark European Obesity Day, which aims to raise awareness of the health problems associated with the condition.

The event was told that some 50 per cent of EU citizens are considered as obese and that the EU was currently in the grip of an "obesity epidemic".

Haslam, a keynote speaker at the debate, said that in most cases weight loss surgery was "one of the most effective" ways of tackling obesity.

But there had been cases, he said, where patients have sought treatment overseas without first being properly health screened and the surgery has gone wrong.

"In such cases, people can end up in a much worse condition that they were before, sometimes resulting in suicide."

Calling for more EU-wide support for people with obesity, he also said there was growing evidence of a link between obesity, particularly in middle-aged women, and the onset of Alzheimer's disease.

Another speaker, Jean-Paul Allonsius, president of European Obesity Day, called on the EU and member states to recognise obesity as a chronic disease.

He said, "This would require the creation of formal healthcare policies to address what is now an EU-wide epidemic."

He said that at present only one member state, Portugal, recognised obesity as a chronic disease.

"What we need now are for the 26 other member states to do the same."