Almost 100,000 British teenagers are now so obese their weight problem cannot be reversed without surgery, experts have warned.
Researchers found 2.4 per cent of 13 to 18-year-olds are ‘super obese’ – and argue they should be given free weight-loss surgery on the NHS.
If all 90,500 who meet the criteria for bariatric surgery – which costs around £6,000 – went under the knife, it could cost the taxpayers £543million.
Study leader Professor Russell Viner, of University College London, said that denying adolescents surgical intervention could cost the health service more in the long-term.
Being obese puts you at a higher risk for health problems such as heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and diabetes.