As many as 85,000 of today’s children will die prematurely as a result of overweight and obesity unless “drastic action” is taken, the Irish Heart Foundation (IHF) has warned.
According to the charity, children as young as eight are presenting with high blood pressure as a result of excess weight, while young people are showing early signs of heart disease, which are usually not seen until middle age.
Obesity affected just 1% of children in Ireland in 1975, but by 2016, 30% of girls and 31% of