Nine UK council areas where majority of children will be overweight within the decade
Analysis indicates that for the first time, more than 50 per cent of children in nine specific UK council areas could be overweight or obese by 2035.
Blackpool is predicted to have the highest rate at 54 per cent, with other areas like Knowsley, Sandwell, Barking and Dagenham, Wolverhampton, Walsall, Newham, Luton, and Nottingham also facing high rates.
The RSPH's report is based on modelling data from the government's national child measurement programme, showing current primary school leaver obesity at 36 per cent.
The report recommends revising the Ofsted inspection framework to promote wellbeing and physical activity in schools, and calls for a national Youth Physical Activity strategy.
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Daily Mail
19 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
First the 'magic potion', now the 'miracle pills'! Novak Djokovic drinks 'pyramid water' from Bosnia and travels with his own electromagnetic field: Inside the tennis icon's weird ways after his first-round recovery at Wimbledon
Novak Djokovic may have been down against Alexandre Muller after the second set of his first-round Wimbledon match, but he was not out. 'I went from feeling my absolutely best for a set and a half to my absolute worst for about 45 minutes,' Djokovic said after winning the clash in four sets to set up a meeting with Dan Evans. 'Whether it was a stomach bug - I don't know what it is, but just struggled with that. 'The energy kind of kicked back after some doctor's miracle pills and I managed to finish the match on a good note.' While the phrase 'miracle pills' might have given some who believe in the Serbian serial champion's tendency towards the dark arts pause, it's unlikely to ring true. On-court doctors are employed by the tournament and nothing they dole out to save a flagging player will trouble WADA. But more often than not, Djokovic has relied on somewhat unusual methods to remain highly competitive at 38 years old. Last year, Djokovic shocked SW19 by returning to Centre Court twenty-six days after undergoing knee surgery. Unorthodox is the word that befits Djokovic and his various beliefs, from pyramid water to a temple that keeps him calm, or the Bosnian mountain he abides by. Marginal gains is what Djokovic is all about and this latest rehabilitation will have been littered with quirky ways to return to fitness. Previously he has shown that he places trust in the healing power of trampolines, the use of meditation to fight off injury, the belief that you can make dirty water clean again with nothing but the strength of your emotions. The list goes on and on. There was the time Djokovic set an alarm on his phone so he would know – to the exact minute – when a year had passed since he last ate a piece of chocolate. Or the time he listened over and over and over to The Beatles and a Serbian rock band called Električni Orgazam to perfect the rhythm of his famed return motion. Or there is the faith he places in the healing power of 'pyramid water'. In a piece on the official Wimbledon website they detail the 'benefits of pyramid water'. Djokovic underwent a rigorous rehab in order to be ready to fight for an eighth Wimbledon 'Novak really appreciates the water from the pyramids. He can see it brings him benefits,' Sam Osmanagic, who announced to the world in 2005 that he had discovered the pyramids, said. 'When Novak comes here, he always gets supplies of the water.' Djokovic swears by it and he has not been quiet about his pilgrimages to the small city of Visoko in Bosnia, in order to 'charge up on the cosmic energy being emitted by the local ancient pyramids'. 'There is truly a miraculous energy here,' Djokovic said in 2018. 'If there is a paradise on Earth, then it's here.' Traditional medicine and routine practices of rehab do not appeal to Djokovic; his psyche and mindset has long been on a different level. Food is a key area for him. Specifically, the 'positive energy' that food can distribute. In his book 'Serve to Win: The 14-Day Gluten-free Plan for Physical and Mental Excellence', the Serbian superstar incredibly detailed how he believes that conversation is influential on the food we eat. In Djokovic's mind, negative conversation could well be harmful to the food, stripping it of its nutrients as well as its taste. During his rehabilitation now, as her has done for many years, Djokovic is positive in affirming his beliefs to his food before he eats. Wild, but it works for him. Djokovic explains: 'I believe that if you are eating with some kind of fear or worry or anger, the taste of the food and the energy you get from it won't be as powerful… What you give is what you get.' He is also obsessive when it comes to chewing, an action that must be focused on entirely. 'As I chew, the process of digestion is already starting,' he wrote. 'The enzymes in my saliva mix with the food, so that when it hits my stomach it's a fully formed piece of 'information.' As well as being informed by mental practices, Djokovic has invested in modern technology, sporting a Taopatch at the 2023 French Open. The patch, affixed to his chest, is a piece of wearable nanotechnology, with administers a version of acupuncture and light therapy. More recently, the star revealed during the Australian Open that he had been given a custom electromagnetic device designed to 'enhance metabolic function'. 'It's (an) energetic disc, (it) creates an electromagnetic field around it and (the) kind of secret is in this pattern,' Djokovic said of his new favourite toy in an interview with GQ. 'And so when you place it on a certain part of your body, place this part (the centre of the disc), for example, if you have stomach issues, which I do have often when I'm nervous, stressed before the match or indigestion issues, that creates heat. 'So then it starts enhancing the metabolic functions or it reduces inflammation in certain part of the body. 'A doctor that I know in Serbia, who is also an engineer, he created this disc for me and I have a bunch of those and I do carry it everywhere. 'When I fly in the plane, I put it on (my) head or somewhere. I shouldn't be having it on the body parts for too long, so like 20-30 minutes it does its work.' More often than not Djokovic is happy to expand on his beliefs, on food, on special water, on not getting vaccinated against Covid, and that was why his 'magic potion' spotted at previous iterations of Wimbledon became so intriguing. His bizarre Wimbledon drink habit became an even bigger story when he refused to reveal what was in the bottle, claiming it is 'magic potion'. 'Magic potion, that is all I can say,' he said, when pressed. His wife Jelena, who boasts quirky views of her own, even took a swipe at her husband's critics when it came to the 'potion' in question. 'This whole nonsense about making people speak about something they aren't ready because others are inpatient is absurd,' she said. 'Sit a bit in silence. Mind yourself more. Not everything you see is controversial. It could be private. Is that allowed?' The 'potion' has since been unveiled as Djokovic's SILA electrolyte supplement, which is available for purchase by the masses and contains, as per the brand itself, 'CoQ10, Vitamins C and B12 for cellular energy', and 'proprietary nanotechnology for maximum absorption'. The front row of his box on Tuesday evening were sporting SILA baseball caps, one assumes for maximum absorption of marketing. Normally in these weeks Djokovic is frequenting a nearby Buddhist temple. The Buddhapadipa Temple, on a leafy suburban street just minutes from the All England Club grounds, has been frequented by the reigning champion in previous years. Djokovic, an Orthodox Christian, once stayed next door to the temple and spent up to an hour a day using its four-acre grounds for meditation and to improve his focus. 'Many years ago he came to stay next door to the temple and every morning he meditated at the temple,' Venerable Piyobhaso, minster of religion at Buddhapdipa, tells Mail Sport. 'He preferred to come in the morning, from 30 minutes up to an hour. Sometimes he spent an hour beside the lake. He became friends with some members. 'Novak is a very friendly person. He always smiled and didn't mind having photos with the temple members. He said that meditation helps with his tennis.' Whatever Djokovic eats, drinks, prays to, believes in works; it works for him anyway. Because at 38 years of age, he is here, at Wimbledon, full of belief an eighth men's singles title is within his grasp.
The Independent
28 minutes ago
- The Independent
Restaurants could be made to report customer calorie counts to help combat obesity
Restaurants could be forced to report the number of calories customers consume as part of a government move to crack down on obesity. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) will expect restaurants with more than 250 employees to report the average number of calories diners consume under the plans, which are set to be put to public consultation. The data would be used to make big restaurant chains and fast food giants 'increase the healthiness of sales' and reduce the food intake of customers. Kate Nicholls, the chief executive of UK Hospitality, a trade body that represents restaurants, said the industry had been 'totally blindsided' by the plans. She warned the proposals would lead to 'random, mandatory targets' and add 'further red tape and costs' to a struggling industry. 'Mandatory reporting and set targets with unclear outcomes will only add to the financial burden for [restaurants],' Ms Nicholls told The Times. '[They are] already battling to keep prices low and quality high for hard-working families wanting to enjoy the occasional treat and meal out.' The DHSC said the plans would go out for consultation once the government's ten-year obesity strategy was published in full this week. A spokesperson told The Independent: 'We have been clear that we will develop the scope of the proposals with industry ahead of a public consultation. This will help us create a health service fit for the future under the Plan for Change. 'Obesity costs the NHS £11.4bn per year and one in five children now leaves primary school with obesity, so we need to take action to address this crisis, but our approach will be more nudge than nanny.' In 2022, restaurants, cafes and takeaways with more than 250 staff were forced to print how many calories were in meals on their menus, websites, and on delivery platforms. The measures were introduced to 'ensure people are able to make more informed, healthier choices when it comes to eating food'. But a 2024 study published in Nature Human Behaviour found that the labelling made no difference to how many calories people bought or ate. Dr Megan Polden from the University of Liverpool surveyed more than 6,000 people who bought food in more than 330 outlets, including pubs, restaurants, cafes and fast food outlets. They surveyed the customers before the changes were introduced and after, but found the labels had made no significant impact on how many calories they ate. The labels did make people more aware of how many calories were in their food, however, even if it didn't change what they consumed. Reacting to the study, Tom Quinn, director of external affairs at eating disorder charity Beat, said: 'This vital research adds to a growing bank of evidence: calorie labelling on menus doesn't help anyone. 'For those with eating disorders, calorie labelling can worsen feelings of anxiety and stress and lead to harmful behaviours such as binge eating, exercising excessively or restricting food.'
Telegraph
40 minutes ago
- Telegraph
‘My husband's diabetes destroyed our sex life – here's how we saved our marriage'
'Sex – several times a week – had always been an important glue in our marriage,' says Sara Chaudary, who's been with her husband Arion for 17 years. 'Yet there were horribly strained evenings, when we'd start having sex but couldn't finish. As a result he stopped instigating sex, and rejected me trying to start it. This just wasn't the norm for us.' Erectile dysfunction (ED) – the inability to get or maintain an erection sufficient for satisfactory sexual performance – remains one of the most awkwardly unspoken medical conditions among men. Yet for millions worldwide, it is far from rare – especially when diabetes is thrown into the mix. For West Yorkshire restaurant owners Sara, 36, and Arion, 45, problems in the bedroom followed shortly after Arion's Type 2 diabetes diagnosis at the age of 43. He is not alone. In the UK, more than 4.3 million people live with diabetes, with around 90 per cent of cases being Type 2, like Arion's. According to Diabetes UK, ED is more likely in older men with T ype 2 diabetes and those living with obesity, though it can affect men of any age with any type of diabetes. Up to 75 per cent of men suffering from diabetes will experience some degree of ED over their lifetime, with male diabetics thought to develop symptoms 10-15 years earlier than other men. The connection between diabetes and erectile dysfunction 'It's one of the most common complications of the disease – yet it's also one of the least discussed,' says consultant urologist Professor David Ralph, of University College London. 'Many men feel embarrassed when I meet them, the term 'erectile dysfunction' rarely leave their lips. Instead they come in saying things like, 'it's not like it used to be, doctor' or 'it's not working properly down there'. There's often a feeling that they've somehow let themselves or their partner down,' says Professor Ralph. 'It's my job to explain that ED is extremely common – particularly with age and underlying health conditions like diabetes – and that it's a medical issue, not a personal failing.' Why this occurs, says Professor Ralph, is because prolonged high blood sugar can damage the small blood vessels and nerves which are essential for an erection. 'This reduces blood flow and sensation in the penis. Men with diabetes are also more likely to have low testosterone, which further lowers sexual desire,' he adds. Professor Ralph also points out that psychological factors such as anxiety or low mood can worsen the problem. While other diabetes-related health problems, such as heart or kidney disease, may also play a role in reducing sexual desire and contributing to erection problems. A midlife diagnosis that changed the marriage Sara and Arion first met in 2008, moved in together within two months and welcomed their first child a year later. But their whirlwind romance stood the test of time, as they married and went on to have five sons together, now aged 16, 14, 12, nine and three. 'After so many years together we both know sex isn't the be-all and end-all, but it's certainly the important glue, and I'd say we connected this way three to four times a week' says Sara, who helps run Arion's restaurant. 'Having friends who haven't had passion that actually lasts, we always felt very fortunate in that area.'
