Food and Nutrition
The Network of Public Health Observatories is now part of Public Health England.
This page contains historical information.
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Lead person/s:
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| Senior Public Health Analyst |
Lead PHO: EMPHO |
| Tel: 01623 812069 ext. 1008 |
Good nutrition is vital to good health. Whilst many people in England eat well, a large number do not, particularly among the more disadvantaged and vulnerable in society. In particular, a significant proportion of the population consumes more than the recommended amount of fat, saturated fat, salt and sugar. Such poor nutrition is a major cause of ill health and premature death in England.
Cancer and cardiovascular disease, including heart disease and stroke, are the major causes of death in England, accounting together for almost 60% of premature deaths. About one third of cancers can be attributed to poor diet and nutrition.
The Department of Health has estimated that if diets matched nutritional guidelines, around 70 000 deaths in the UK could be prevented each year and that the health benefits (in terms of quality adjusted life years (QALYs)) would be as high as £20 billion each year.
For more information about this topic, please look at the topic on the EMPHO web site.
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