Obesity costing Britian's economy almost £20bn a year
Britain's economy is losing £20bn every year due to obesity which is leaving employees too sick to work, according to new research.
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The £19.6bn economic cost adds to £14.2bn in healthcare costs, bringing the total annual burden of excess weight to £33.8bn.
Out of the eight European countries studied, including Germany, Italy, France and Spain, Britain suffers the most productivity losses from excess body fat.
Britain’s £19.6bn cost was equivalent to £19.4bn in Germany, despite its smaller population.
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The study, undertaken by independent research organisation Office for Health Economics, shows that almost £8bn lost comes from people leaving the workforce because of ill health.
Almost £5.5bn is lost through reduced productivity among people working while unwell, while sick leave costs £2.4bn.
Richard Torbett, chief executive of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, told The Telegraph: "Excess weight and obesity cost the UK £33.8bn a year, equivalent to 1.4 per cent of GDP,” he said.
"Most of that, £19.6bn, never appears on an NHS balance sheet. It is lost to the economy through people who are too unwell to stay in work."
He added: "Investing more in new effective preventative medicines can deliver better health for patients, a health service not overwhelmed by preventable disease, and a workforce well enough to work and support economic growth."
An estimated two million Brits are already paying privately for weight-loss drugs, while NHS provision remains restricted.
Across the eight countries, elevated body mass index (BMI) was associated with 278,000 deaths and almost eight million years of healthy life lost annually.