The Insurance Helpline
Totally Insured Group // 0800 377 7763

Individuals considering obesity insurance may have extra concerns following the latest research.

Scientists at King’s College Hospital in south London have concluded that obesity has overtaken alcohol as the primary cause of liver disease.

Based at one of the country’s leading liver transplant centres, the experts found that for some people the damage is so severe they need a liver transplant.

Dr Varuna Aluvihare, a consultant hepatologist at King’s, told the BBC that fat-induced liver disease has also overtaken viral infections as the most common cause of liver disease in Europe and the US.

"If we extrapolate from the US experience its quite likely, unless we change things soon, in the next 20 or 30 years obesity will be the commonest cause of cirrhosis - that’s irreversible scarring, and may be the commonest cause of indication for transplantation," he warned.

Doctors point out that as the liver is the body’s largest internal organ, carrying out hundreds of functions, it is often unable to cope with large fat levels.

People who are overweight are also at risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer and arthritis.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people with obesity

This entry was posted on Friday, January 4th, 2008 at 3:04 pm and is filed under Cholesterol / Obesity, Diabetes, Heart, Medical Developments and treatments, Obesity.