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A sailor who ballooned to 301 pounds while he was in the Canadian navy will be receiving a disability award after arguing his health problems were partly due to unhealthy military food.

The 47-year-old sailor, who was not identified in the recently released ruling by the Veterans Review and Appeal Board, had originally been denied a disability award for his hypertension that developed while he was in navy.

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But he has now successfully argued his case to the board, proving in their view that his chronic high blood pressure was linked at least partly to his military service.

When the man joined the Canadian Forces in 1986 he weighed 72.5 kilograms (160 pounds) and was fit. By 2005 he was 136.5 kilograms (301 pounds).

Hypertension is blamed on a variety of factors such as a lack of exercise, a salt-rich diet from processed and fatty foods, and alcohol and tobacco use. Obesity and hypertension are linked.