Millennials already have it tough: they're poorer than their parents, they'll never get onto the housing market and now they can add obesity to the list. According to a study published by Cancer Research UK, the Millennial generation is on track to become the most overweight in recorded history.
Around 70 percent of people born in the time period from the early 1980s to the mid-'90s - between the ages of 20 and 35, essentially - will be considered obese by the time they reach middle age, if current population trends are not reversed.
This number is roughly twice that of their parents' generation, who were born in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War.
"Extra body fat doesn't just sit there; it sends messages around the body that can cause damage to cells," says Professor Linda Bauld, spokesperson for Cancer Research UK.
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"This damage can build up over time and increase the risk of cancer in the same way that damage from smoking causes cancer. While these estimates sound bleak, we can stop them becoming a reality.
"Millennials are known for following seemingly healthy food trends, but nothing beats a balanced diet. Eating plenty of fruit, vegetables and other fibre-filled foods like whole grains, and cutting down on junk food is the best way to keep a healthy weight."
Prof Russell Viner, an expert from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health concurred, adding: "There is a danger that being overweight is becoming normalised, as we know that many people struggle to recognise obesity in themselves, and often are unable to see when their child is overweight.
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"Knowledge of the links between cancer and smoking have driven smoking rates down dramatically amongst our young people. We need the same recognition of the dangers of obesity."
Cancer is heavily linked to obesity, with 13 different types of the disease attributable to poor diet. Breast cancer, bowel cancer and kidney cancer are just some of the illnesses that overweight people find themselves at a higher risk of contracting.
Britain is already the fattest country in Western Europe and is pulling away from similar nations in terms of the number of obese people. Fifteen percent of the population were obese in 1993, a number that has ballooned to 27 percent in the most recent study, conducted in 2015.
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Older people are more likely to be obese, but the current Millenial generation is expected to overtake them.
Featured Image Credit: PA