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Francis Dean/REX
UK News

Obesity stems from abuse of God's creation, says Christian fitness expert

The comments come after England's chief medical officer, Dame Sally Davies, described it as a "growing health catastrophe" in her annual report.

The Founding Director of Fit Fish, Gaynor van der Burton, said: "God invented lots of very brightly coloured foods that appeal to our senses. He created sugars in fruit and vegetables and our body is drawn to eat those sugars because fruits and vegetables are very good for us; they have lots of vitamins and minerals in.

"But then you look at what's manufactured and those bright colours are now in packages. The sugar-fat combination is made into this perfect formula that means you just want more. If you look at nature there's nothing where sugar and fat feature together.

"It's abusing the system that God put in place to draw us to foods that are good for us."

In England in 2013, 56.4% of women aged 34-44 and 62% of women aged 45-54 were classified as obese or overweight.

Obesity increases the risk of many diseases including breast cancer, type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Dame Sally Davies has called for a sugar tax if the food industry does not do more to tackle obesity.

Christian GP and Chair of the Royal College of GPs Wales, Dr Rebecca Payne, told Premier: "When it comes to fizzy drinks I think it's a great idea. Just a couple of them will push you way beyond your sugar intake for the day."

She added that there are simple steps people can take to lead a healthier lifestyle.

"We can do a lot by being organised in advance, so taking a piece of fruit with us and making sandwiches instead of getting chips or a pie at lunch time. And the great thing is that you save money too.

"All the evidence shows that if people go along to a group and get support they can address some of these issues in a supportive environment and lose far more weight than doing it on their own."

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