Nov 1: Here's another reason why you should shed the flab -- excess weight can damage your liver more than alcohol, a leading doctor in Britain has warned.

In fact, according to Dr Christopher Hawkey, the President of the British Society of Gastroenterology, obesity will overtake alcohol as the main cause of liver cirrhosis in the "not too distant future".

"Obesity is the biggest health problem we face this century. It is almost certainly going to reverse the rise in life expectancy, so we start living shorter lives than before. It will increase the risks of a number of cancers; hip and knee surgery requirement is going to be vast; and it is now projected to overtake alcohol as the biggest cause of liver cirrhosis within two decades," he told 'The Observer'.

A new poll of 1,959 people released on Sunday has found that while the majority understood that obesity could cause diabetes, high blood pressure and infertility, few understood its link to certain cancers or liver problems.

New figures show a huge spike in the number of people under the age of 65 dying of liver disease while deaths linked to other problems, such as diabetes, cancers and stroke, have fallen for that age group.

The average age of death from liver disease is 59 compared with between 82 and 84 for heart and lung disease and strokes.

Dr Hawkey said the poll also showed that people don't realise other complications are related to obesity.

"People don't know there is an epidemic of cancer of the oesophagus, for example, which is very hard to treat. It is comfort eating -- just like comfort drinking."

Dr Hawkey said the healthiest option is for people to eat small portions of foods that release carbohydrates slowly.

He also advocates vegetarianism, or "semi-vegetarianism" for those who can't give up meat entirely.