Professor Stephen Hawking is campaigning for people to tackle obesity before it’s too late.
In a new advert for Swedish non-profit GEN-PEP, the British cosmologist and physicist says that humanity faces a major challenge and “millions of lives are in danger”.
He adds that obesity is now one of the most serious public health problems of the 21st century, but believes the solution to tackling it is simple.
We need to take part in more physical activity and change our diets, he suggests, before adding: “It’s not rocket science.”
Leading a sedentary lifestyle and not participating in regular exercise is now the fourth leading cause of death in the world.
In the advert, Hawking - who is considered by many to be ‘the smartest man alive’ - says that “too many people die from complications related to obesity”.
“We eat too much and move too little,” he adds.
Adults require 30 minutes of physical activity a day, while children should aim to be active for 60 minutes. But sadly, many don’t meet this advisory guideline.
Children and young adults are less fit today than their parents were at the same age and studies show that 80% of the world’s adolescent population isn’t active enough, according to GEN-PEP.
The advert ends with Hawking saying: “For what it’s worth, how being sedentary has become a major health problem is beyond my understanding.”