Cambridge is the Slim City of the UK

According to an article by Charlotte Orson in Cambridge First states adults  in Cambridge have the lowest rates of obesity in England aside from the wealthy London borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

A total of 14.4 per cent of adults in Cambridge are classed as obese – meaning they have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or more.

This compares with a rate of 13.9 per cent in Kensington and Chelsea according to figures released by the Department of Health.

It puts Cambridge in stark comparison to Gateshead in the north-east and Tamworth in the West Midlands where 30.7 per cent of adults – almost a third – are obese.

Fewer children weighed and measured in the final year of primary school in Cambridge were also classed as obese – a total of 14.6 per cent compared with a national average of 18.7 per cent.

The five local authority areas with the fattest children were all London boroughs with Westminster topping the table.

While NHS Cambridgeshire welcomed Cambridge’s ranking in relation to the national average, consultant in public health Val Thomas said the number of obese adults had risen to 14.4 per cent over recent years and the trust is fighting to curtail a further increase.

Last month the Government was urged to take action to prevent an obesity epidemic with researchers predicting obesity rates would rise from an average of a quarter of UK adults to 40 per cent by 2030.

This would see a rise in type two diabetes, heart disease and stroke as well as certain types of cancer and is expected to result in the NHS incurring an additional burden of £2 billion a year.

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