Thousands of lives saved 'if rest of UK adopted English diet'
Monday 7th November 2011
Thousands of lives could be saved each year if people in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland adopted the standard English diet, according to new research.
A study published in journal BMJ Open investigated mortality data for coronary heart disease, stroke and ten cancers linked to diet, including those of the gullet, bowel and stomach, of all four UK countries for the years 2007 to 2009.
Death rates for cardiovascular disease and such cancers are higher in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland than they are in England.
Researchers estimated the average daily intake of ten dietary components in each of the four countries, including energy intake.
It was found that people in Scotland and Northern Ireland consistently consumed more saturated fat and salt and fewer fruit and vegetables each day than people in England. Differences between Wales and England were less consistent throughout the period.
Authors then used the DIETRON model to calculate what differences in death rates could be expected from population changes in average dietary quality. DIETRON is a conceptual mathematical model able to calculate the impact of food consumption on health outcomes.
According to results, just under 22,000 more people died in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland from cardiovascular disease and diet-related cancers than would be expected if mortality rates were as low as in England. Most of the mortality gap was made up of deaths in Scotland.
In all three countries, deaths from coronary heart disease accounted for the largest proportion of the mortality gap.
It was found that more than 6,000 Scottish deaths could have been prevented or delayed if the population had eaten the average English diet. This is the equivalent of 40 per cent of the mortality gap between England and Scotland.
If Wales and Northern Ireland adopted an English diet, the mortality gap could have been reduced by 81 per cent.
This indicates that Scotland has a higher level of non-dietary risk factors which contribute to the mortality gap.
Overall, more than 11,000 deaths could have been prevented or delayed, which amounts to around half of the excess deaths from cardiovascular disease and diet related cancers. Calculations showed that differences in total energy intake and fruit and vegetable consumption accounted for most of the variation in death rates.
Authors suggested that "fat taxes", meaning higher pricing of unhealthy foods, might only work if they are teamed with subsidies for fruit and vegetables.
"Diet has a substantial impact on geographical variations in mortality from coronary heart disease, stroke and various cancers within the UK," they said.
However, it was noted that diet alone cannot completely close the mortality gap. The impact of lifestyle factors such as smoking, alcohol and lack of exercise also need to be taken into account.
In other dietary news, a study has shown that a vegetarian diet and exercising at least three times per week significantly reduced the risk of diabetes in African American people.
The study, published in journal Nutrition, Metabolism & Cardiovascular Diseases, revealed that compared to non-vegetarian black people, vegans had a 70 per cent reduced risk of diabetes. Furthermore, those who consume dairy but no meat had a 53 per cent cut risk of the condition.
Furthermore, black people who exercised three or more time per week, compared to once a week or never, had a 35 per cent cut risk of diabetes.
Fruits and vegetables, commonly part of a vegetarian diet, have a high fibre content, which could be associated with a decreased occurrence of type 2 diabetes. Futhermore, whole grains and beans have in the past been shown to
improve glycemic control and slow the rate of carbohydrate absorption and the risk of diabetes.
African Americans are twice as likely to be diagnosed with diabetes compared to non-Hispanic white people.
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