Poor diet kills 70,000 every year, report says

[Guest guest]

Pity it doesn't state that giving up meat and dairy would be the best

option!

 

Jo

 

Almost 70,000 deaths could be avoided every year if Britons followed

healthy eating guidelines, a wide-ranging government report says.

 

Have your say: How can people be persuaded to eat well?

The nation's poor diet costs the economy £10 billion, of which £7.7

billion comprises NHS treatment that could be avoided if people cut

down on fatty and salty foods and ate more fresh fruit and vegetables.

 

Those who die prematurely would have lived for almost 10 years longer

if they adhered to dietary advice, the report says.

 

The figures are contained in the Cabinet Office report Food: an

analysis of the issues, commissioned by the Prime Minister as a

precursor to a government review of food policy and a new strategy on

tackling obesity.

 

It includes grim predictions about the growth of obesity in Britain,

with 60 per cent of the population expected to be overweight by 2050,

compared with 28 per cent today, and 70 per cent of girls and 55 per

cent of boys expected to be overweight or obese in 40 years' time.

 

The report also shows that children are being badly let down by

parents who feed them far too much saturated fat, sugar and salt and

not enough fruit and veg.

 

" Children's diets are proportionally worse than adults and the future

of children's health is of particular concern, " the report says.

 

On average children eat only 2.5 portions of fruit and vegetables per

day - half the recommended intake. They also eat 50 per cent more

added sugars than the recommended maximum and 25 per cent more

saturated fat.

 

Dr Ian Campbell, a GP and medical director of the charity Weight

Concern, said government initiatives could go only so far in

improving the nation's health, with ultimate responsibility resting

with the individual.

 

" The evidence I have from my work with the charity and as a GP is

that this is not a problem caused by lack of education - on the whole

people know what they are supposed to do, but they just don't want to

do it, " he said.

 

" We have this social security/NHS psyche in this country where people

think ­everything will be done for us, but people have to want to get

healthy, you can't force them.

 

" Food is cheaper and easier to prepare than ever before and we live

more sedentary lifestyles, so I'm afraid all the indications are that

it will only get worse. "

 

The report states that 42,000 premature deaths could be avoided each

year if everyone ate five portions of fruit and vegetables per day,

with another 20,000 deaths avoided by cutting salt intake from an

average of nine grams to six.

 

Reducing fat and sugar intakes to recommended levels would save

another 7,000 lives, making a total of 69,000, about 10 per cent of

the overall annual death rate.

 

The estimated cost of avoidable food-related illness to the NHS and

to industry is estimated at £10 billion but the report says that if

everybody ate healthily the economy would be £20 billion better off

due to the reduced health care costs and extra years of productive

life.

[Guest guest]

And that's just the UK. I'm sure we North Americans multiply this by at

least a factor of 10.

 

Cheers,

 

Trish

[Guest guest]

Quite possibly.

 

Jo

 

-

" Trish Carr " <bantrymoon

 

Friday, January 04, 2008 6:25 PM

Re:Poor diet kills 70,000 every year, report says

 

 

> And that's just the UK. I'm sure we North Americans multiply this by at

> least a factor of 10.

>

> Cheers,

>

> Trish

>

>

>

> To send an email to -

>