Third Sector
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Poor diet costs NHS almost as much as smoking and alcohol, says study
Treating diseases brought on by poor diet costs the NHS £5.8bn, almost as much as it costs to treat smoking and alcohol related diseases combined.
The study, which we funded, found that smoking and alcohol related diseases accounted for £3.3bn each.
It notes that up to 80 per cent of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and over a third of cancers could be prevented by eliminating lifestyle risk factors such as poor diet, lack of exercise, smoking and excessive alcohol.
Our senior cardiac nurse, Cathy Ross, said: “This paper suggests that specific risk factors - including poor diet - that we know increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and many other chronic conditions are responsible for the increasing burden on an already overstretched NHS budget.
“Giving up smoking, being a healthy body weight and shape and including regular physical activity into your life will not only look after your heart health but reduce your risk of other chronic diseases such as diabetes and some cancers too.”
The study, led by Peter Scarborough at the University of Oxford, is published in the Journal of Public Health.
