IT'S a bitter truth to swallow (unless served with fries perhaps) but when it comes to the world league of junk food nations we Brits are now top of the list.

Our increasing appetite for hamburgers, chips and pizza has squeezed the Americans into second place, according to a new survey.

Research for the BBC found 45 per cent of Britons liked the taste of fast food too much to give it up (compared to 44 per cent in the States).

And it seems the fat epidemic is no longer the preserve of the wealthy western world either. Many developing countries are now struggling to cope with a heavy-weight population.

The World Health Organisation has coined the term globesity to describe the global obesity epidemic which is fast becoming one of the world's leading reasons why people die.

Local nutritional therapist Sharon Sutcliffe, based at Wimborne, said it was frightening news.

"Many people just don't realise that it doesn't take much to put you in the danger zone. Just a couple of takeaways a week can increase your levels of saturated fat and put you at risk of developing heart disease or type 2 diabetes."

Sharon said the best advice was to read food labels carefully and to try and start a meal from scratch rather than relying on processed foods.

"Diabetes used to be an elderly person's disease but it's even being seen now in primary school children - it's really scary. Parents often don't realise how much salt or saturated fat there is in processed foods.

"Food labels are pretty easy to decode now but I will sometimes do what I call an assisted shop to help people know what they should be looking out for."

But why when billions of pounds are spent each year on healthy eating campaigns is the message still not getting through?

Some people claim belligerent Brits don't like being told what to do by central government.

Jo Rainsley, managing director of the Poole-based Green Gym Company, says there is too much confusion and misinformation.

"There are all these diets around and yet the rates of obesity are still increasing which just goes to show that they don't work.

"I run well-women seminars to try to help people separate the facts from the fiction. If you get your brain in gear first then your heart and legs will follow."

Ciaran Newell, a consultant nurse in eating disorders based at St Ann's Hospital in Poole, said they were seeing more and more cases of people suffering with binge eating disorders.

He said globesity was the result of a number of factors including the fact that people now lead more sedentary lifestyles, the constant availability of fast food, lack of physical activity in schools and higher levels of fat and salt in processed food.

"But there's no point just telling someone they need to cut back on their food and send them home. Unlike alcohol and drug addictions where you can try to avoid the problem you can't do that with food.

"If you suddenly cut back on food you find people will then binge eat at the next meal."

Nearly 70,000 premature deaths could be prevented each year by improving the UK's diet, according to a new government report published this week.

People are still not eating enough fruit and vegetables, wholegrains or oily fish. Bringing the nation's diet in line with nutritional guidelines would cut the number of deaths linked to cardiovascular disease and cancer. Health secretary Alan Johnson is expected to publish a cross-government obesity strategy paper towards the end of this month.