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Ulviyya Poladova

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More than 600,000 people in the United Kingdom are unable to work because of overweight and obesity-related health problems, AzerNEWS reports, citing The Telegraph.

The findings are based on a study conducted by researchers at the University of York, who analyzed data from more than 284,000 volunteers. The research drew on information from the UK Biobank, the country's largest medical database.

According to the information, more than 15 million people in the UK are overweight, and around 4% of them are unable to continue working specifically because of obesity.

The study also found that men are more likely than women to leave the workforce due to excess weight.

Researchers warned that rising obesity rates could place an even greater financial burden on the UK economy. The report noted that employees diagnosed with obesity take twice as much sick leave as those with a healthy weight, highlighting the growing impact of obesity on productivity and the labor market.

The Government has announced pilot schemes in which the unemployed will be given weight-loss jabs to get more people back to work.

Researchers have previously found that obese workers are twice as likely to take time off sick as those of a healthy weight because of health problems arising from their size.