Murray Olds: Australian correspondent on obesity beating smoking as top Australian health risk - Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Being overweight or obese has overtaken smoking as the top risk factor contributing to health problems in 2024, new data shows.

The Australian Burden of Disease Study 2024 estimates that Australians lost 5.8m years of healthy life due to living with illness and injury - or premature death.

While smoking has previously been the lead factor contributing to poor health later on in life - being overweight has since beaten it out.

Australian correspondent Murray Olds says experts are calling for sugar taxes and less marketing of junk food to children.

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