Obesity 'biggest threat to women's health' in England

Obesity is the biggest threat to women's health and the health of future generations, warns England's chief medical officer Dame Sally Davies.

Her annual report, which focuses on women this year, said tackling obesity should be a national priority to avert a "growing health catastrophe".
She said the food industry needed to do more or it should face a sugar tax.
Dame Sally is also calling for better treatment of ovarian cancer and more open discussion on incontinence.
England's top doctor said obesity was so serious it should be a priority for the whole population, but particularly for women because too often it shortened their lives.
In England in 2013, 56.4% of women aged 34-44 and 62% of women aged 45-54 were classified as overweight or obese.
Obesity increases the risk of many diseases including breast cancer, type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Sugar tax

Dame Sally warned that if the food industry did not clean up its act then new taxes may be the only option.
She told the BBC: "I think it is inevitable that manufacturing has to reformulate and resize, that supermarkets and others need to stop cheap promotions on unhealthy food and putting unhealthy food at the check-out, and limit advertising dramatically.
"I think we're at a tipping point. If industry won't deliver then we'll have to look at a sugar tax."
Elsewhere in the report, the chief medical officer recommended that:

• clinical staff be better trained to recognise and respond to violence against women, including female genital mutilation, domestic abuse and sexual violence
• more research is needed to improve maternal and child mental and physical health
• more research on screening tests, preeclampsia and foetal growth is also needed
• children should receive integrated personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE) with sex and relationships education (SRE) at school
• a full range of contraception services should be available to all women, at all reproductive ages