Doctors are scared to address obesity with patients due to the modern 'body positivity' trend.

That's according to obesity and weight-loss specialist Dr Eva Orsmond.

She was speaking as new data suggests more than half of the world's population will be overweight or obese by 2035, if current trends continue.

The World Obesity Federation also said childhood obesity could more than double in the same timeframe.

In Ireland, it projects that 47% of adults will be obese by 2035 - with an annual increase in child obesity of 4.1%.

The projected trends of obesity in Ireland. Source: World Obesity Federation

It also suggests that 1.8% of Ireland's GDP will be impacted because of this.

Dr Orsmond told Newstalk Breakfast the increase is a scary prospect.

"I'm not surprised and it's a very scary read," she said.

"What's even more scary is that the children and young adult rates are increasing even higher.

"We are not really talking about this; we're not really addressing people anymore, especially healthcare professionals who, I think, should be the first line to talk to people about the impact of excess weight on their health.

"I think they are very scared to address this issue, especially now in the view of this new trend of body positivity".

'Missing the health message'

Dr Orsmond said messages are not getting through to people.

"We are saying that we are worried to make mental health issues for people who are not accepting their size," she said.

"With this new trend, I think it's very worrying because we are missing the message of health here.

"It's wonderful that we are becoming more diverse in society and we are expecting different types of people and people's sizes - and that's all fine.

"When it comes to weight, and especially the distribution of the visual fat - which [is] the deep fat which is wrapping around the visual organs behind our belly button.

"It's that fat that we can't see that is continuously producing these inflammatory... compounds, which are basically at the base of type 2 diabetes".

Body positivity

Dr Orsmond said people need to be aware of the consequences of 'body positivity.'

"We are not talking about the message behind this, and people are not informed that the damage is happening silently.

"There are more than 20 conditions linked to overweight and obesity".

Main image: An obese woman photographed in London, England in September 2014. Picture by: Jonathan Buckmaster / Alamy Stock Photo