Calls to stop athletes promoting junk food in adverts

Danish tax ministry scraps “fat tax” on food items
The tax applied to fatty food items (containing more than 2.3% saturated fat) in Denmark, which was introduced in October 2011 in an attempt to limit the the country’s intake of fatty foods and increase the population’s life expectancy, has been lifted.

It is reported that the tax has had adverse effects on the economy, inflating food prices and putting Danish jobs at risk; the Danish Food Workers Union said that the tax had led to a loss of 1300 retail and manufacturing jobs in the country.

The Danish tax ministry said one of the effects of the “fat tax” was that some Danes had begun crossing the border into Germany to stock up on untaxed food.

Daily Mail, 31 August 2012

Hospital treatment for obese people is on the rise
Data from the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) show that over just 5 years, the number of obese people who need hospital treatment has risen dramatically from 1800 to nearly 9000. 

The NHS in England conducted 1800 bariatric procedures, where the patient’s primary diagnosis was obesity, between 2006 and 2007, and this figure rose to 8600 procedures in 2011. 

HSCIC Chief Executive, Tim Straughan, said: “Hospital episode statistics have the potential to offer an incredibly rich and detailed picture of the activity happening within secondary care in this country.”

The Independent, 1 November 2012

Diabetes UK launches “4 Ts” campaign on World Diabetes Day
Diabetes UK has launched a new T1D awareness campaign following survey results showing that 90% of parents are unaware of the four key symptoms of T1D in children.

Launched on World Diabetes Day 2012, the “4 Ts” campaign is designed to help ensure that parents and those who work with children are aware of the four main symptoms of T1D – frequently urinating (Toilet), excessive thirst (Thirsty), extreme fatigue (Tired) and sudden weight loss (Thinner).

Barbara Young, Chief Executive for Diabetes UK, said: “The symptoms of T1D are so obvious and pronounced that there is no reason why every child with the condition cannot be diagnosed straight away.”

BBC News, 14 November 2012

Fancy a brew? Diabetes prevention: It’s in the bag…
According to new research published in the online journal BMJ Open, upping your black tea drinking may lower your risk of developing T2D. 

The researchers analysed the prevalence of health conditions, including T2D, in relation to black tea consumption in 50 countries. They found that the prevalence of T2D is low in countries where consumption of black tea is high. 

Researchers believe the anti-diabetes effect of black tea is caused by a range of more complex flavonoids. 

Lead author of the study, Dr Ariel Beresniak, said the findings “are consistent with previous biological, physiological, and ecological studies conducted on the potential of black tea on diabetes and obesity,” and provide “valuable additional scientific information at the global level.”

This research could add to the list of “tips” for diabetes prevention – maybe it’s time to put the kettle on…

Diabetes.co.uk, 8 November 2012

Health campaigners are calling on the Government to ban sports stars from promoting “junk food”, claiming athletes are earning millions by fuelling childhood obesity. Athletes including David Beckham, Rebecca Adlington and Gary Lineker have all endorsed junk-food products.

Malcolm Clarke, from the Children’s Food Campaign, has criticised “junk food” companies for their “vague health promises” and has also called on them to stop using sports stars to promote their products.

A spokesman for the Department of Health said athletes’ endorsement of products was a matter for the Advertising Standards Authority rather than the Government.

Daily Mail, 18 November 2012