Even slightly overweight people were twice as likely to get Type 2 diabetes

A recent study revealed that people with a body mass index (BMI) of 30-35 were at 70% higher risk of developing

heart failure than their healthy weight peers (18.5-25 BMI).

Public Health England said "sustained action" was needed to tackle obesity after the study of 2.8 million adults showed even slightly overweight people were twice as likely to get Type 2 diabetes .

The study conducted in the UK and which is to be presented at the European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Glasgow, showed:

• For those with a BMI of 35-40, the risk of Type 2 diabetes was almost nine times higher, and 12 times higher for sleep apnoea
• People with severe obesity (BMI of 40-45) were 12 times more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes and had a risk of sleep apnoea that was 22 times greater
• People with a BMI of 40-45 had triple the risk of heart failure, high blood pressure, and dyslipidaemia (abnormal levels of cholesterol and other fats in the blood)
• BMI of 40-45 was also linked to a 50% higher risk of dying prematurely from any cause

 BMI is calculated using the standard formula of a person's mass in kg divided by the square of their height in metres (kg/m2) and display it to one decimal place.

Where a user's data is entered in imperial units, we first convert to metric and then carry out the BMI calculation.

The BMI result is assigned to a standard category:

Less than 18.5 - underweight

18.5 to 24.9 - healthy weight

25 to 29.9 - overweight

30 to 39.9 - obese (split into two categories for the new study)

40 and over - very obese (also known as morbidly obese)

Christiane Haase, of healthcare firm Novo Nordisk which funded the work, who us the study author said: "With the number of people living with obesity almost tripling worldwide over the past 30 years (105 million people in 1975 to 650 million in 2016), our findings have serious implications for public health."