IN his fascinating book Unnatural Causes, forensic pathologist Dr ­Richard Shepherd observes how, over the years, the dead bodies he examines have changed.

One of the most noticeable is the rapid increase in body fat.

He says: “Unless a patient is homeless or has died of cancer or is so old or poor they could not eat, few are the same shape as the dead of the 1980s when I started practising.

“Looking back at forensic photos from that era I am astonished at how thinness was then the norm.”

Fast-forward just three decades and obesity levels are now rising at such a rate that one expert says the “timebomb has exploded” for our health services.

Consequently, the NHS is reportedly bracing itself for soaring levels of cancer, Type 2 diabetes and heart and liver ­disease.