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Human and Economic
Cost of Heart Disease in Europe
Rising
Obesity Levels: A Cancer Time Bomb
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August 2009: New Recommendations on Sugar Intake
In a new statement published on 24 August 2009, the American Heart
Association has highlighted that high intake of added sugars is implicated
in numerous poor health conditions. Added sugars are sugars and syrups added
to foods during processing, preparation and at the table. The study
highlights:
 | High intake of added sugars is implicated in obesity, high blood
pressure and other risk factors for heart disease and stroke |
| Added sugars should be eaten sparingly |
| Soft drinks and other sugar-sweetened beverages are a major source
of added sugars in the diet |
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The most effective way of ensuring that children get adequate levels of
physical activity is to ensure that they have a chance to play. Recent
research has suggested that 1/3 of children never play outside, and for many
children, the only chance they get to play outside is during school
breaktimes.
Despite this, many school playgrounds in Ireland are uninspiring pieces
of tarmac, and children are often denied the opportunity to engage in
meaningful play – for example, in 40% of National Schools, running is
prohibited. We’re trying to change all this, and rather than re-invent the
wheel we have teamed up with PlayBoard, the lead agency for the development
of children and young people’s play in Northern Ireland.
PlayBoard have implemented their “Positive Playgrounds” initiative in 40
schools across the six counties, and we are working with PlayBoard to adapt
and deliver the programme in primary schools in the Republic of Ireland. The
initiative involves training playground supervisors and teachers to become
true play facilitators, covering areas such as risk assessment, wet
playtimes, co-operative games, playground policy and a range of highly
practical methods for transforming playgrounds. We are developing
complementary educational material for parents, highlighting the importance
of play. This initiative places children at the centre of the change process
and will give children stimulating and fun play opportunities. The first
Positive Playgrounds in the Republic will be created in September 2009.
Schools that are interested in participating should contact RedBranch.
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Play gives children a fantastic opportunity
to be physically active.
According to the
American Academy of
Pediatrics, play is essential to development because it contributes to
the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being of children and
youth. Physically active play can also help prevent a range of serious
illnesses. Unstructured play is one of the best ways for children to
achieve the World Health Organisation's recommended 60 minutes of physical
activity per day. |
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New figures published by the European Society of Cardiology and the
European Heart Network this month show that cardiovascular disease (heart
disease) is the main cause of death in the European Union, killing over 2
million people per year. Heart disease costs the EU economy over 192 billion
Euros annually. Many of these deaths could be avoided with proper prevention
policies.
“These latest figures show that cardiovascular disease is a critical
health problem for Europe and must be taken seriously...” declared Dr Georgs
Andrejevs co-chair of the MEP Heart Group. According to Dr William Wijns of
the European Society of Cardiology: “to those who think prevention is
expensive, I say ... try disease!”. Heart disease costs the European economy
192 billion Euros a year. 57% of this is directly linked to health care, 21%
to productivity losses and 22 % to the cost of informal care provided by
relatives and friends.
Heart disease causes almost 40% of all deaths in Ireland. The disease
takes decades to develop, and evidence shows that the processes leading to
heart disease have their roots in childhood. According to the World Health
Organisation, helping children to develop good lifestyle habits – a healthy
diet, physical activity, and avoidance of smoking – is a critical way to
reduce the risk of heart disease.
Simple lifestyle interventions can have a major impact on heart disease.
The World Health Organisation estimates that low intake of fruits and
vegetables causes 31% of ischaemic heart disease. Irish children generally
do not eat enough fruit and veg, eat too much “junk” food and have the
sweetest tooth in Europe. RedBranch have demonstrated that school fruit
programmes, like our secondary school fruit micro-business and our National
School fruit break, significantly improve fruit consumption and attitudes
towards fruit in children. You can access our
practical tips on helping children to eat more fruit & veg consumption here.
Regular physical activity also reduces
the risk for heart disease. Children and adolescents should get at least
one hour of physical activity on most days of the week, preferably on a
daily basis. This one-hour target doesn't mean that children need to do one
hour of sport per day, because all kinds of activities (for example walking)
contribute to the total. Playing sport regularly is an excellent way for
children to be active. However, if children don’t like the competitive
aspect of traditional sports, there are lots of other ways to be active.
Schools can help children to be more active by offering alternative
activities such as hip-hop dance, tae-kwon-do, step aerobics etc. It is
crucial that children should take part in activities that interest them -
otherwise the activity habit will not last.
Contact RedBranch and we will help to source alternative physical
activity ideas for your area.
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“Premature death and suffering from
cardiovascular disease is largely avoidable”, according to Ms Susanne
Logstrup from the European Heart Network.
According to the World Health Organisation, the following
measures help prevent heart disease:
| Eat plenty of fruit & veg, nuts and whole
grains |
| Avoid trans fats - products
containing "hydrogenated vegetable oil" |
| Avoid excess saturated fats - animal fat and dairy fat |
| Eat more omega-3 fatty acids from fish or
plant sources |
| Avoid excessively salty or sugary foods |
| Get at least 30 minutes of
regular physical activity on most days |
| Avoid smoking |
| Maintain a healthy
weight |
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Artificial food colour and additives commonly found in children's food
exacerbate hyperactive behaviours in children - according to an article
published today in "The Lancet" medical journal. The research team at
Southampton University found that adverse effects were reported in children
generally, not just in children who were already hyperactive.
Increased levels of hyperactivity are associated with the development of
educational difficulties, especially in relation to reading.
Professor of Psychology Jim Stevenson, who led the research, comments:
‘We now have clear evidence that mixtures of certain food colours and
benzoate preservative can adversely influence the behaviour of children.
There is some previous evidence that some children with behavioural
disorders could benefit from the removal of certain food colours from their
diet. We have now shown that for a large group of children in the general
population, consumption of certain mixtures of artificial food colours and
benzoate preservative can influence their hyperactive behaviour.
‘However parents should not think that simply taking these additives out
of food will prevent all hyperactive disorders. We know that many other
influences are at work but this at least is one a child can avoid.’
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) today stated that it is aware
of the UK study, and that parents of children in Ireland who could display
symptoms of hyperactivity or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
should consider limiting their children’s consumption of food products
containing
these food colours. The FSAI recommends that parents read food labels
when buying products so that they can identify if they contain these food
colours and they can make an informed purchasing decision. We don't think
this recommendation goes far enough. The study found adverse effects in the
general population, not just in children with ADHD, and this is not the
first scientific study questioning the wisdom of adding cocktails of
chemicals to children's food. We advise all parents to avoid these
unecessary additives.
Apparently, the FSAI will be in discussions with the European Food Safety
Authority in relation to these findings and will provide further updates as
they develop. The FSAI have not called for these additives to be banned from
children's food.
For years now RedBranch have been advising
parents to avoid these unecessary chemicals, on the basis that they
provide no benefits and their effects are potentially harmful. Back in 2006
we even tried to alert the Irish Nutrition and
Dietetics Institute to scientific research that demonstrated a "cocktail
effect" of these additives. Our advice is for parents is simple: avoid these
additive chemicals completely. They provide no benefits to children, and
there is mounting evidence that they are bad for children's health.
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The recent study looked at the combined effects of benzoate preservatives
and the following artificial food colours:
Tartrazine (E102)
Ponceau 4R (E124)
Sunset Yellow (E110)
Carmoisine (E122)
Quinoline Yellow (E104)
Allura Red (E129)
Taking these additives out of food will
not prevent hyperactive disorders - but it is one risk factor that a child
can avoid. RedBranch recommend avoiding any foods that contain these
chemicals.
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Dr Greg Martin, Science and Research Manager for the
World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) has
warned British people that they need to act now to avoid a massive
increase in the number of cancer cases. This is because cancer is closely
linked to obesity, and research shows that up to 40 per cent of cancers
could be prevented through a healthy diet and regular physical activity. But
despite increased public awareness of the importance of a healthy lifestyle,
obesity levels are continuing to rise.
The warning is every bit as relevant in Ireland, where thirty-nine
percent of Irish adults are overweight and 18 percent are obese. Levels of
overweight and obese children in Ireland are higher than the European
average, with 22% of 5 - 12 year olds being classed as overweight or obese.
Dr Martin said: “There has been plenty of attention recently on the
problems of obesity, but a lot of people still do not realise how closely
obesity is linked to cancer. People getting fatter will lead to an increase
in the number of cancer cases as surely as night follows day...if you have
an ageing population that is getting more obese, there could be really
serious consequences in terms of the number of people developing cancer if
people do not act now.”
Dr Martin has warned people will have to look at their lifestyle now if
this big rise is to be avoided some years in the future: “The frustrating
thing is that people can make simple changes to their lifestyle to reduce
their cancer risk. But ultimately each person has to make that commitment
and at the moment too many people are dying because they are not taking
action.
“It really is as simple as eating more healthily, making sure your
portion size is not too big, and taking regular exercise. When you think
about what a devastating disease cancer is, it really is worth taking these
simple steps because they can make a big difference.”
For more information about how to reduce the risk of developing cancer,
click here.
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The number of overweight and obese children
in Ireland is higher than the European average, with 22% of 5 - 12 year olds
being classed as overweight or obese.
Most secondary schools in Ireland sell
enormous quantities of junk food to children. Healthy food choices are not
supported in Irish post-primary schools. |
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According to the International Union Against Cancer (UICC), 43% of cancer
cases can be prevented through healthy lifestyles established in childhood.
The UICC and member organizations (including the Irish Cancer Society)
recently launched a five-year campaign, "Today's children, tomorrow's
world", which underlines the importance of cancer prevention (http:/campaign.uicc.org)
.
Targeting parents, health-care professionals and policymakers, the
campaign presents a common theme: fostering healthy habits during childhood
can help prevent cancer later in life.
The World Cancer Campaign four key messages are:
| Provide a smoke-free environment for children |
| Be physically active, eat a healthy diet, and avoid obesity |
| Learn about vaccines for virus-related liver and cervical cancers
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| Avoid over-exposure to the sun |
More than seven million people die from cancer and close to 11 million
new cases are diagnosed every year. In 2006, cancer killed more people than
AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined. "Cancer strikes all segments of
society in every country. The good news is cancer is largely preventable,"
says Isabel Mortara, UICC executive director. "The first steps toward
prevention are education and action. That needs to start with children."
In addition to targeting individuals, the World Cancer Campaign
encourages policy decision-makers to put cancer on the public agenda.
"Cancer control can only be effective if given priority at the highest
decision-making levels. Complacency and inaction on the part of the world
community will effectively contribute to more than 10 million deaths every
year by 2020," says Dr Franco Cavalli, UICC president.
Our work in Ireland suggests that we need to do much more to
ensure that our children develop healthy lifestyle habits.
(Posted 13th March 2007) |
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According to the International Union Against
Cancer, 43% of cancer cases can be prevented by establishing healthy
lifestyle habits in childhood. |
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