The government is set to announce figures on obesity levels in Britain on Wednesday.
The Department of Health will reveal obesity, diet and physical activity statistics, following research that demonstrated a rising tide of obesity in the UK has triggered an increase in cases of diabetes.
Prevalence of diabetes in the US is one of the highest in the world, but the findings suggest that rates of the disease in the UK are rising even faster.
The only way to defuse the “diabetes time bomb” is to eat a healthy, balanced diet and take part in at least 30 minutes of physical activity, according to health campaigners.
Meanwhile, a separate study released at the same time reveals being obese increases the risk of dying early just as much as smoking.
Research found that being an obese nonsmoker carried the same risk as being a healthy weight but smoking more than 10 cigarettes a day.
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