Obesity more dangerous than terrorism: professor

World focus too much on fighting terrorism while obesity and other "lifestyle diseases" are killing millions more people, an international conference heard yesterday.

Overcoming factors such as poor diet, smoking and a lack of exercise should take top priority in the fight against a growing epidemic of preventable chronic disease, legal and health experts said.

Global was a real threat but posed far less risk than obesity, diabetes and smoking-related illnesses, prominent US professor of health law Lawrence Gostin said at the Oxford Health Alliance Summit here.

"Ever since September 11, we've been lurching from one crisis to the next, which has really frightened the public," Gostin said.

"While we've been focusing so much attention on that, we've had this silent epidemic of obesity that's killing millions of people around the world," he said.

The fifth annual conference of the Oxford Health Alliance -- co-founded by Oxford University -- has brought together world experts from academia, government, business, law, economics and urban planning to promote change.

An 388 million people will die from chronic disease worldwide over the next 10 years, according to WHO figures quoted by the alliance.

Like some passing health threats get major government attention and media coverage, while heart and lung disease, diabetes and cancer account for 60 percent of the world's deaths, the meeting was told.

"It is true that new and re-emerging health threats such as SARS, avian flu, HIV/AIDS, terrorism, bioterrorism and climate change are dramatic and emotive," said Stig Pramming, the Oxford group's executive director.

"However, it is preventable chronic disease that will send health systems and economies to the wall," he said.

The conference is due to end tomorrow with a "Sydney Resolution" calling on governments and big business among others to take action to avert millions of premature deaths due to chronic disease.

"The way we live now is making us sick, it's making our planet sick and it's not sustainable," said Asia-Pacific co-director Ruth Colagiuri.

The Sydney resolution focuses on four key areas, including the need to make towns and cities healthier places to live in. Cities would be designed to promote walking and cycling and reduce carbon emissions from motor vehicles.

The resolution also calls for a reduction in sugar, fat and salt content in food, making fresh food affordable and available and increasing global efforts to stop people smoking.