§ Mr. GaleTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost to the National Health Service of obesity-related conditions for each of the past five years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [140105]
§ Yvette CooperThe economic costs associated with obesity are direct medical costs incurred during diagnosis, treatment and management of obesity per se and those arising from related conditions. Conditions attributable to obesity are diabetes, coronary heart disease, gallstones, hypertension, high blood cholesterol, gout and several cancers.
While estimates of costs to the National Health Service for most of these specific conditions were reported by the Department in the publication 'Burdens of Disease' 1996, no estimates of the proportion of the costs were attributed to obesity.
474WThe analysis required to provide these data is complex and at present there is no authoritative estimate of the cost to the National Health Service of obesity related conditions.