Published: 10:15AM Thursday July 12, 2012 Source: ONE News

Source: Reuters

A nutrition expert has questioned a scholar's claims that obesity is not a health problem.

Elaine Rush told TV ONE's Breakfast this morning that she is concerned by Dr Cat Pause's assertion that obesity is not necessarily a serious health issue.

Rush, a Professor of Nutrition at Auckland University of Technology, disputes Massey University lecturer Pause's claim that "the science [on obesity] isn't as clear cut as what we might like to believe".

Professor Rush said that Pause's claims contradict research that has proves the carrying of excess weight is dangerous for people's health.

"It's not just how much you weigh for your height, it's where it is in the liver, pancreas, and places that you can't see," Rush said.

The last Ministry of Health Nutrition Survey found that one in three adults were overweight (37.0%) and one in four were obese (27.8%).

Rush says that the chances of developing obesity-related diseases such as diabetes start at conception.

"If a mother has gestational diabetes, which she is more likely to do if she is carrying excess body fat, than that child is at least four times more likely to have diabetes in their life."

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Nutrition expert questions obesity claims