London: The UK government has warned of an “obesity timebomb” after a Department of Health report predicts that on third of adults will be dangerously overweight by 2010.

This means Britain has the most fat adults than any other country apart from the US.

This means that 14 million adults will be putting their health at risk with a lifetime of related illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, stroke and Alzheimer’s.

As usual experts blame junt food and lack of exercise, the latter caused by the digital age of computers and TV entertainment.

In the UK obesity causes 9,000 premature deaths every year and the annual cost of the condition to the Health Service is estimated at up to £1billion. And the situation will worsen.

Three years ago just over 9million adults were classed as obese – but by 2010 the figure will have rocketed to almost 13million.

In the case of children, in 2003, 17 per cent of boys and 16 per cent of girls were classed as chronically overweight. But by 2010 some 19 per cent of boys and a shocking 22 per cent of girls between the ages of two and 15 will be obese – some
1.7million children in total. Experts warn that if the current trend continues, half of all children could be obese by 2020.

The forecast means that the Government is likely to miss its 2004 target to halt the rise of obesity in under-11s by 2010.

Health campaigners have already warned that parents will soon be living longer than their children because of the epidemic of lifestyle diseases.