Around 45 people will die from obesity-linked heart disease every single day over the next decade if current trends continue, worrying research has warned. Currently, around 200,000 people a year suffer a heart attack or stroke, making cardiovascular disease the UK's biggest killer. And while the obesity crisis may be tapering off in some countries, in the UK, obesity rates are still rising - especially among the country's youngest. Obesity costs the NHS in excess of £6.5 billion per year and it one of the leading causes of preventable ill health, increasing the risk of heart attack, stroke and cancer.Now the British Heart Foundation is calling on the Government to deliver on its promise for a 'healthy food revolution'. 'We are at risk of sleepwalking further into an obesity epidemic which will have dire consequences for decades to come,' Dr Charmaine Griffiths, the charity's CEO said. 'Obesity is one of the biggest drivers of cardiovascular disease, so if we don't keep momentum, there could be tens of thousands of families who will lose loves ones needlessly over the next decade. 'These deaths are not inevitable. Bold action now by the UK Government could mean preventing more lives being cut short by obesity.' Cardiovascular deaths in working age adults have risen by 18 per cent in the UK since 2019, from 18,693 to 21,975 in 2023, averaging 420 a weekAround one in nine cardiovascular deaths in England are attributed to excess weight and obesity every year, driven predominantly by poor diets. High levels of deprivation and vast inequalities across the country have also been blamed for the obesity epidemic in England, with high fat, salt and sugary foods (HSSF) more readily available than healthier options. Dr Griffiths continued: 'The Government has promised a ‘healthy food revolution’, but it’s yet to materialise. 'Pledges must become policy sooner rather than later if we’re to stop heart attacks and strokes robbing thousands of the chance to live a long, healthy life.'The policy was announced last year but a formal consultation is yet to be published, renewing fresh concerns that time is running out to turn the tide on obesity. 'We cannot accept a future where tens of thousands more lives are cut short, unnecessarily, by diet-related disease,' Katharine Jenner, Executive Director of the Obesity Health Alliance said. 'On the one-year anniversary of the Healthy Food Standards being announced, these stark projections should serve as a reminder to the government of the urgent need to act.'Strong targets for businesses to improve the healthiness of the food they sell would help shift the balance towards healthier products and reduce diet‑related disease across the population. The British Heart Foundation has slammed foods high in sugar, salt and saturated fats, saying that the Government need to do more to promote healthy food standards