Nearly 18,000 members of the British armed forces are clinically obese, figures show.
The stats show 398 troops have Type 2 diabetes, 160 personnel have been prescribed diet pills and 16 given liposuction.
As of July 2018, there were 8,662 obese soldiers in the Army, 4,666 in the Royal Navy and 4,274 in the Royal Air Force.
The figures, obtained by the Mail on Sunday under the Freedom of Information Act, also show more than 30,000 troops are considered overweight, based on the body composition measure (BCM).
A Ministry of Defence (MoD) spokeswoman said: “Our personnel are required to pass our challenging fitness tests.
“Those who do not pass are provided with diet and fitness support, in order to reach and maintain a healthy weight."
The military said if personnel fail a fitness test, they are put on a targeted programme to help them back to the required levels.
Reporting by Press Association.
