A government officer cautioned previous night that as many as half a million children are facing the danger from liver disease “timebomb” stimulated by obesity and started to drink at low age.

The department of health will open an important publicity drive to aware young people about being active this summer season as two-thirds of children are said to be overweight in 40 years. They are worried about the deficiency of awareness of the effect of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) caused by overeating. This condition is aggravated by drinking.

The national clinical director for liver disease at the Department of Health, Professor Martin Lombard told that the number of children in danger will rise as the waist sizes are increasing. “Liver disease is a silent killer that is putting the lives of thousands of our children at risk. We do not want to see the next generations dying young from a condition that can be prevented”.

“We know that with childhood obesity on the rise we can expect more children to be at risk of fatty liver disease in the near future”.

“What’s of great concern is the potential scenario of half a million children or more approaching their teenage years, which is when some experiment with large amounts of alcohol. Even modest amounts of alcohol may make NAFLD worse.”

On the whole, 500,000 children in the age group of 4-14 are in danger. By the year 2050, forecast is that 63% of children will be obese. Caused by the creation of fat in liver cells, NAFLD might initiate swelling and irritation and obstruct the proper functioning of liver. This will result in cardiovascular problems and type 2 diabetes.

In some cases the disease will result in liver cirrhosis, a life critical situation. The symptoms do not come up until the disease reaches advanced stage so innumerable people suffer from it and die at a young age.

The authorities are troubled that young people try out alcohol- mainly in summer to enjoy the end of exams, affecting their livers all the more and enhancing the chances of problems over a long term problem. The caution is issued before Childhood Obesity Week which starts on 4th July 2011.

The Department of Health is also starting a new Change4Life programme in a few weeks, which intends to permanently change the lifestyles of millions of children who have become inactive. The public health minister, Anne Milton, said: “If we are going to turn around the life chances of our children, it’s important parents understand why being physically active matters so much.”

Professor Dame Sally Davies, the chief medical officer for England, told parents need to be made aware of the “hidden risks” of poor diet for their children. “Fatty liver disease is becoming a very common chronic liver disorder in Western countries and causes serious ill-health. In addition, many cases of fatty liver disease are linked to being obese. We all need to be aware that fat is not only stored on our body surface, but in and around our internal organs too.”

Sarah Matthews, from the British Liver Trust, said: “Even though alcohol is regarded as the key cause of liver disease in the UK, weight-related liver damage is set to become a huge public health problem where obesity could overtake alcohol as the biggest single driver of cirrhosis in the future.”