Diabetes will bankrupt the NHS
Discussion
mike9009 said:
Can I just add this relates to type 2 diabetes not type 1.
Could we just put pictures of morbidly obese people with appropriate warning messages on fast food, a bit like they do with cigarettes?? Similarly with adverts for deliveroo, McDonalds etc
Why bother? The images of morbidly obese people are available everywhere around us, there's no shock value.Could we just put pictures of morbidly obese people with appropriate warning messages on fast food, a bit like they do with cigarettes?? Similarly with adverts for deliveroo, McDonalds etc
Our local hospital has a wing purely for diabetes cases, which is on the increase. There's plenty of education/advice about losing weight and weight is a factor. However, I think there should be more education about how harmful sugar is. The obvious sources of sugar but also the hidden sugar in processed foods and the way carbohydrates turn into sugar in the body. I imagine many people aren't aware that carb reduction can prevent a lot of issues.
Evanivitch said:
mike9009 said:
Can I just add this relates to type 2 diabetes not type 1.
Could we just put pictures of morbidly obese people with appropriate warning messages on fast food, a bit like they do with cigarettes?? Similarly with adverts for deliveroo, McDonalds etc
Why bother? The images of morbidly obese people are available everywhere around us, there's no shock value.Could we just put pictures of morbidly obese people with appropriate warning messages on fast food, a bit like they do with cigarettes?? Similarly with adverts for deliveroo, McDonalds etc
bloomen said:
'Overweight or obese' covers everything from a couple of extra kilos that could be gotten rid off in 3 weeks to someone who leaves their house in a forklift.
Out and about I really don't see that many dangerous porkers.
That's because overweight is now considered normal and obese is the new "a few extra kilos".Out and about I really don't see that many dangerous porkers.
If you are a normal/healthy weight the average overweight (normal) person would regard you as skinny, or a health freak.
ScotHill said:
Unless there are a few primary schools where every lesson is a pie-eating exam, I kind of think that's b
ks, or at least grossly misleading. Thinking of all the children in my son's primary school, and all of the primary age children I see around, a tiny number of them have noticeable weight problems, and this is in Glasgow where chips are known as a side salad..
It is bks, or at least grossly misleading. Thinking of all the children in my son's primary school, and all of the primary age children I see around, a tiny number of them have noticeable weight problems, and this is in Glasgow where chips are known as a side salad..ks. Based on dodgy stats. As perhttps://thecritic.co.uk/the-myth-of-childhood-obes...
It's a long read but one clue is that according to the stats there is a huge decline in obesity between the last year in primary school and the first year in secondary. Which is obviously b
ks. It is caused by the way child obesity is measured.We may have a child obesity problem but I see very few fat kids. Exaggerating a problem doesn't help.
Edited by irc on Monday 20th November 05:19
g3org3y said:
spikeyhead said:
That highlighted sentence is one I find absolutely staggering. Is there any way of improving things?
article said:
“The rubbish that people eat is atrocious and the manipulation of poor people is unspeakable,” James declared in 2013. “The agricultural production of excess fats and sugars has also been subsidised by governments for half a century to the tune of trillions of dollars... so that if you are poor you cannot afford many kinds of fruit and vegetables. And, as inequality increases, your primary drive is to get the cheapest calories possible and, currently, these are the foodstuffs with a high sugar and fat content.”
He's not wrong.'Big Food' have a lot to answer for. The poor are an easy target.
This is a great listen re their dodgy behaviours: https://www.jordanharbinger.com/marion-nestle-how-...
But people also need to take some responsibility. I see lots of obese patients on a daily basis. Given the affluent area in which I work, poverty is not the main driving force behind their food choices.
It's not big food that's the problem. They sell what people want.
98elise said:
Poor people can't afford fruit and veg? Fruit and veg is very cheap, and normally it's right at the front of the store. We cook the majority of our food from fresh and it's cheaper than processed crap.
It's not big food that's the problem. They sell what people want.
It’s not cheap though. Not for an actual balanced diet. A few potato’s and carrots might be cheap, but that’s not all someone needs to live. It also requires time and work. The fundamental issue is lack of time and resources. Too many hours working, too much stress. People struggle to cook because they simply don’t have the time. They eat too many carbs because that’s what you crave when you’re tired and stressed.It's not big food that's the problem. They sell what people want.
Continuing to treat it as a moral issue
loafer123 said:
Ozempic/Wegovy looks like it might save the day.
Seems pretty difficult to get it prescribed for obesity, maybe not in the GP's interests? My surgery even has, as part of its 3 minute message that youre forced to listen to before joining the queue, a comment that they are not entertaining requests for it to be prescribed! Suggesting demand has been pretty high. It's a bit odd considering some of the other sort of treatment / drugs they do seem happy to dish out.
Edited by poo at Paul's on Monday 20th November 13:29
98elise said:
Poor people can't afford fruit and veg? Fruit and veg is very cheap, and normally it's right at the front of the store. We cook the majority of our food from fresh and it's cheaper than processed crap.
It's not big food that's the problem. They sell what people want.
I agree it's cheap, but it's also not always quick to prepare (time is money, and energy) nor does it necessarily keep for long.It's not big food that's the problem. They sell what people want.
Supermarket fruit and veg is very cheap, but local shops charge significantly more.
Electro1980 said:
98elise said:
Poor people can't afford fruit and veg? Fruit and veg is very cheap, and normally it's right at the front of the store. We cook the majority of our food from fresh and it's cheaper than processed crap.
It's not big food that's the problem. They sell what people want.
It’s not cheap though. Not for an actual balanced diet. A few potato’s and carrots might be cheap, but that’s not all someone needs to live. It also requires time and work. The fundamental issue is lack of time and resources. Too many hours working, too much stress. People struggle to cook because they simply don’t have the time. They eat too many carbs because that’s what you crave when you’re tired and stressed.It's not big food that's the problem. They sell what people want.
Continuing to treat it as a moral issue
What fruit and veg in a balanced diet is expensive?
poo at Paul's said:
Seems pretty much impossible to get it prescribed, maybe not in the GP's interests? My surgery even has, as part of its 3 minute message that youre forced to listen to before joining the queue, a comment that they are not entertaining requests for it to be prescribed! Suggesting demand has been pretty high.
It's a bit odd considering some of the other sort of treatment / drugs they do seem happy to dish out.
I think it is lack of availability. Presumably production is limited at the moment.It's a bit odd considering some of the other sort of treatment / drugs they do seem happy to dish out.
ScotHill said:
spikeyhead said:
38 per cent of children left state primary schools overweight or obese, significantly increasing their risk of one day developing chronic health problems.
Unless there are a few primary schools where every lesson is a pie-eating exam, I kind of think that's bks, or at least grossly misleading. Thinking of all the children in my son's primary school, and all of the primary age children I see around, a tiny number of them have noticeable weight problems, and this is in Glasgow where chips are known as a side salad.Must have been a large increase in the proportion of sugar and refined carbs eaten over the last fifty years though, if finger pointing is necessary. Secondary school children will happily quaff a half litre can of energy drink on the way to school, which won't be offset by exercise.
The majority of my sons school are from a know background of 30%+ diabetes rates.
All his friends wind him up about riding bicycles. None of them own a bike and many never learnt to ride one.
I agree with the original link, outside of a leafy Surrey primary school we are facing a huge health crisis.
Growing up in the 80/90's I remember a Wimpy and a McDonald's in the town.
I don't even need to go into that last sentence in any depth do I.
Edited by Hugo Stiglitz on Monday 20th November 13:35
Evanivitch said:
I think we've lost our frame of reference of what a healthy weight is for a child. Fat has been normalised throughout our society.
This is true. I had to explain to my 11yo boy why he needed 'slim fit' trousers when shopping. I told him that 'slim fit' are what used to be normal size, and normal now is for the fatties, but they couldn't call the larger size 'fat fit', because it might actually shame the fatties into losing some weight. Instead it is a far better idea to hurt their long term health instead of their feelings.lornemalvo said:
Our local hospital has a wing purely for diabetes cases, which is on the increase. There's plenty of education/advice about losing weight and weight is a factor. However, I think there should be more education about how harmful sugar is. The obvious sources of sugar but also the hidden sugar in processed foods and the way carbohydrates turn into sugar in the body. I imagine many people aren't aware that carb reduction can prevent a lot of issues.
I think our local hospital's diversity matrix has led to them employing roughly 50% obese staff. Attended A&E a few years back for head injury and, in the various bits of wait with my wife who had to drive me, we observed, certainly in terms of nursing staff, a significant number were easily into the territory of being unhealthily large.Reliance on voluntary agreements rather than regulation with ultra processed food providers. Lack of any effective regulation of the food industry
Government is not interested as they can easily deflect blame to the consumers themselves rather than the unhealthy national food landscape that they're presiding over.
Government is not interested as they can easily deflect blame to the consumers themselves rather than the unhealthy national food landscape that they're presiding over.
98elise said:
Again I cannot see how that's true. Even when my wife and I were both working, and had teenage kids doing multiple after school activities we still managed to cook and eat. A lot of the time we simply used a slow cooker and cooked in batches. Our home cooked meals came in at about £1 per serving.
What fruit and veg in a balanced diet is expensive?
Yes What fruit and veg in a balanced diet is expensive?
It is very possible to eat well for £2 a serving, which is much cheaper than a ready meal for one, or a takeaway.
It is more a change in mentality and training that is needed.
JagLover said:
98elise said:
Again I cannot see how that's true. Even when my wife and I were both working, and had teenage kids doing multiple after school activities we still managed to cook and eat. A lot of the time we simply used a slow cooker and cooked in batches. Our home cooked meals came in at about £1 per serving.
What fruit and veg in a balanced diet is expensive?
Yes What fruit and veg in a balanced diet is expensive?
It is very possible to eat well for £2 a serving, which is much cheaper than a ready meal for one, or a takeaway.
It is more a change in mentality and training that is needed.
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