New research has shown that eight out of ten deaths in Wales and Ireland, and four out of ten in Scotland, deemed “unnecessary” from cancer, heart disease, and stroke could have been prevented if the victims followed an English diet as opposed to that of their native country.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, revealed that citizens of Wales, Ireland, and Scotland as a whole ingest more calories, salt, and fat than their neighbor does. They also eat fewer fruits and veggies, staples to any healthy diet.
Researchers from the University of Oxford and the John Radcliffe Hospital noticed that regarding heart disease, stroke, and ten types of cancer associated with diet, the death rates were significantly higher in the three countries compared to England. Between 2007 and 2009, the experts estimate that close to 4,000 died unnecessary deaths, ones that could have been avoided had they followed England’s diet.
Overall, the average daily calorie consumption for England was 2289, Wales 2364, Scotland 2370, and Northern Ireland 2424. Another high figure was the total fat, with England at 94.9 g and Ireland at 100.1g.
Overall, however, the chief factor in the dietary differences seems to be the giant gap in fruits and vegetable intake. “Consumption of fruit and vegetables in Scotland is around 12% lower than in England, and it is about 20% lower in Northern Ireland. The Welsh eat about the same amount as the English,” according to HealthCanal.com
To combat this clearly daunting issue, the researchers have proposed a “fat tax”: “identifying 'fiscal initiatives aimed at increasing the cost of foods high in saturated fat (so called ‘fat taxes’) may be best placed to reduce geographical inequalities in health if they are paired with subsidies for fruit and vegetables,’” according to the Daily Mail.
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However, there are a few important things to remember when reading about this study. One is that the English diet definitely isn’t the healthiest of them all; according to Victoria Taylor, senior dietitian at the British Heart Foundation, “ a quarter of English adults are obese and only 30% eat their five-a-day.”
‘The English diet was not chosen as an example of a healthy diet, which it most certainly is not! At present in England we do not meet government recommendations for average consumption of salt, saturated fat and fruit and vegetables,” adds Dr. Peter Scarborough, of the Department of Public Health at Oxford University.“However, selecting the English diet as a “comparison” diet for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is useful as it allows for comparisons with a diet that is similar and – crucially – achievable.”
Another thing to keep in mind is that outside factors aside from unhealthy eating habits can also lead to unnecessary deaths. “The prevalence of smoking, alcohol consumption and physical activity levels, which are not uniform across the UK, could have an impact on incidence rates,” Dr. Scarborough admitted.
“Small improvements in dietary quality in Scotland and Northern Ireland (and, to a lesser degree, Wales) could result in substantial narrowing of health inequalities within the United Kingdom,” he concluded. “If dietary quality within Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales were equivalent to England, then we would expect there to be around 3700 fewer deaths in these countries annually.”
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.McSpartacus | Nov 11, 2011, 06:39 PM EST
@sparklet: also, generally, when one accuses another of being a racist, it rather torpedoes ones argument when one follows that up with a comment questioning the accusees ethnic purity. Just sayin'. Also: if insulting British food makes me a racist, I'm gonna need a white hood...
McSpartacus | Nov 11, 2011, 06:04 PM EST
@towngate: that's actually incorrect re "British Isles" moniker - it is not accepted by the state of Ireland, and it is not "official" internationally, merely a habitual designation by British institutions. @sparlet... Oh bless your heart, you are precious!
Towngate | Nov 06, 2011, 03:02 PM EST
johnny111: The key to understanding Jordana's post is to define how the British Heart Foundation charity is referring to 'Ireland' - I personally doubt they includes the Republic of Ireland as it is outside it's remit. ~~~~~~~ When referring to the islands of Ireland and Great Britain as a whole, it is often more convenient to employ the Official Geographical Term "The British Isles". Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are separate Political entities with their own Assemblies - curiously and confusingly, only England of the countries which make up the United Kingdom, does not(yet) have its own dedicated Assembly, and is bound by decisions made by sitting MP's (Members of Parliament)in London who represent all the component countries! ~ Btw, the English do not 'have' any part of Ireland, ~'Northern Ireland' is in charge of its own democratic administration and destiny. Hope this helps.
johnny111 | Nov 06, 2011, 11:46 AM EST
Sorry this was about the north of Ireland the part the English have. Not the republic of Ireland.Its the British and Irish Isles noboby calls it the british isles anymore, only less educated or British people
EphraimKibbey | Nov 04, 2011, 07:05 PM EDT
A difficult choice - a long life eating boring stuff or a short one eating what you love. Longevity vs. Happiness: each to his own choice without one group imposing taxes on the other to force them to be politically correct would seem the most democratic route to follow.
Sparklet | Nov 04, 2011, 01:44 PM EDT
Sorry BrendanDunphy. Just get irritated by people trying to be more Irish than they probably are.
BrendanDunphy | Nov 04, 2011, 01:19 PM EDT
Sparklet ... oh lighten up.
Sparklet | Nov 04, 2011, 01:08 PM EDT
Mr Spartacus gets the prize for this week's most inane, ridiculous, and pathetic post. And apart from being totally stupid, it's verging on racist. Though racism seems to abound on this site anyway. Does Mr S want to come across as more Irish than the rest of us, or what. A nation's diet is nothing to do with politics.
UKIreland | Nov 04, 2011, 12:48 PM EDT
It would be interesting to compare the British Isles with the US. I wager that Americans eat more fat, more sugar and far fewer fresh fruit and vegetables than the Irish/Welsh/Scots or English.
McSpartacus | Nov 03, 2011, 11:41 PM EDT
If I had to eat like the English I'd rather take my chances.
Towngate | Nov 03, 2011, 06:36 PM EDT
Relax, This advice to 'eat like the English', only applies to those Irish living in the North. - The rest can carry on as they were ....
irishrose376 | Nov 03, 2011, 03:30 PM EDT
I recently spent 10 days in western Ireland and ate heatlhy foods. Mixed fruit, eggs, toast, juice, coffee for breakfast. When dining in pubs I found delicious soups, sandwiches, salmon or scallop dinners. The towns had plenty of food shopping choices. If diet is unhealthy in Ireland it isn't because of food choices provided but food choices individually made.