Latest news with #IanGilmore
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
The three lifestyle factors putting a million UK adults at risk of dying early
About a million people in England are putting themselves at risk of dying early because they are overweight and combine drinking too much and smoking, research has found. The 'triple threat' disproportionately raises their risk of diseases including cancer, heart disease, stroke, Type-2 diabetes, liver disease and mental health conditions, experts warn. One doctor said the combination may cut 20 years from someone's life. Analysis of a Health Survey for England by charity Action on Smoking and Health (Ash) found that 22 per cent of adults in England – at least 10 million people – have two or more of the three risk factors. About 2 per cent – a million adults – fall into all three categories. Public-health experts warned two years ago that high levels of obesity, excessive drinking and health inequalities were costing the economy £15bn a year. Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, chairman of the Alcohol Health Alliance, said each of the three habits carried a risk, but when combined the danger is exaggerated. 'These poor health outcomes are not only avoidable, but they also place a huge and growing strain on the NHS and our economy,' he said. "We urgently need a joined-up approach to public health policymaking that tackles these issues together, rather than in isolation, if we are to see the much-needed governmental shift from sickness to prevention.' The combined effects of smoking, drinking and being overweight are often greater than the sum of individual risks, studies have shown. The new analysis of 2021 data also found that: ● 5.9 million people (13 per cent of adults) have factors of being overweight or obesity and drinking ● 2.5 million (6 per cent of adults) are overweight or obese and smoke ● 0.6 million (1 per cent of adults) drink and smoke without being overweight Prof Gilmore, a former president of the Royal College of Physicians, told The Guardian it was likely that smoking, grade three obesity and heavy drinking would reduce life expectancy by at least 20 years. Katharine Jenner, director of the Obesity Health Alliance, said: 'These are not issues of individual behaviour, but issues of industry behaviour or tactics. 'Behind the statistics on smoking, alcohol and unhealthy food-related disease lie multi-million-pound industries that operate in darkly similar ways – producing, marketing and selling products that damage our wellbeing. 'The government will not be able to meet its ambition of shifting from prevention to treatment until it recognises this.' Caroline Cerny, the deputy chief executive of Ash, said the government's forthcoming 10-year plan was an opportunity to 'get a firm grip on the causes of ill health that are shortening the lives of people and placing a huge strain on the NHS'. She called for targets to cut smoking, drinking and excess weight, introducing minimum-unit pricing of alcohol in England and extending the sugar tax. Health secretary Wes Streeting is next week due to unveil his 10-year plan for the NHS, aimed at tackling inequalities through fundamental reforms, and measures such as sending health workers door-to-door. People will be urged to monitor their own health with technology such as smart watches that monitor blood pressure and glucose levels. The Department of Health and Social Care was approached for comment but a spokesperson told The Guardian ministers were committed to tackling obesity through a ban on the advertising of junk food on television before 9pm and a planned new food strategy. They also an extra £310m had been put to treatment of drug and alcohol addiction, while the Tobacco and Vapes Bill phases out the sale of cigarettes.
The Independent
a day ago
- Health
- The Independent
The three lifestyle factors putting a million UK adults at risk of dying early
About a million people in England are putting themselves at risk of dying early because they are overweight and combine drinking too much and smoking, research has found. The 'triple threat' disproportionately raises their risk of diseases including cancer, heart disease, stroke, Type-2 diabetes, liver disease and mental health conditions, experts warn. One doctor said the combination may cut 20 years from someone's life. Analysis of a Health Survey for England by charity Action on Smoking and Health (Ash) found that 22 per cent of adults in England – at least 10 million people – have two or more of the three risk factors. About 2 per cent – a million adults – fall into all three categories. Public-health experts warned two years ago that high levels of obesity, excessive drinking and health inequalities were costing the economy £15bn a year. Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, chairman of the Alcohol Health Alliance, said each of the three habits carried a risk, but when combined the danger is exaggerated. 'These poor health outcomes are not only avoidable, but they also place a huge and growing strain on the NHS and our economy,' he said. "We urgently need a joined-up approach to public health policymaking that tackles these issues together, rather than in isolation, if we are to see the much-needed governmental shift from sickness to prevention.' The combined effects of smoking, drinking and being overweight are often greater than the sum of individual risks, studies have shown. The new analysis of 2021 data also found that: ● 5.9 million people (13 per cent of adults) have factors of being overweight or obesity and drinking ● 2.5 million (6 per cent of adults) are overweight or obese and smoke ● 0.6 million (1 per cent of adults) drink and smoke without being overweight Prof Gilmore, a former president of the Royal College of Physicians, told The Guardian it was likely that smoking, grade three obesity and heavy drinking would reduce life expectancy by at least 20 years. Katharine Jenner, director of the Obesity Health Alliance, said: 'These are not issues of individual behaviour, but issues of industry behaviour or tactics. 'Behind the statistics on smoking, alcohol and unhealthy food-related disease lie multi-million-pound industries that operate in darkly similar ways – producing, marketing and selling products that damage our wellbeing. 'The government will not be able to meet its ambition of shifting from prevention to treatment until it recognises this.' Caroline Cerny, the deputy chief executive of Ash, said the government's forthcoming 10-year plan was an opportunity to 'get a firm grip on the causes of ill health that are shortening the lives of people and placing a huge strain on the NHS'. She called for targets to cut smoking, drinking and excess weight, introducing minimum-unit pricing of alcohol in England and extending the sugar tax. Health secretary Wes Streeting is next week due to unveil his 10-year plan for the NHS, aimed at tackling inequalities through fundamental reforms, and measures such as sending health workers door-to-door. People will be urged to monitor their own health with technology such as smart watches that monitor blood pressure and glucose levels. The Department of Health and Social Care was approached for comment but a spokesperson told The Guardian ministers were committed to tackling obesity through a ban on the advertising of junk food on television before 9pm and a planned new food strategy. They also an extra £310m had been put to treatment of drug and alcohol addiction, while the Tobacco and Vapes Bill phases out the sale of cigarettes.
The Independent
13-02-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Weight-loss jabs cut alcohol cravings by half, research reveals
Weight-loss injections slash alcohol cravings and curb heavy drinking by almost half, new research revealed. The JAMA Psychiatry study showed a weekly jab of semaglutide, also known as brand names Ozempic and Wegovy, cut the amount people drink in a day by about 40 per cent. Up to 48 people with a drinking problem who had not been actively seeking treatment were recruited for the study. They all had alcohol use disorder, which can include the inability to stop or control drinking despite negative consequences. But with weekly doses of the drug, the group saw a 41 per cent reduction in the alcoholic drinks they consumed, as well as alcohol cravings dropping by about the same figure. The study backs up anecdotal evidence from patients and doctors that semaglutide can lead to a sudden loss of longing for alcoholic drinks, researchers said. Dr Stephen Burgess, from the University of Cambridge, said: 'This is a small study, but an exciting one. 'It provides evidence that semaglutide treatment can reduce alcohol consumption, similar to how it has been shown to reduce food consumption and consequently body weight. 'The likely mechanistic pathway is by dampening brain cues that prompt an individual to crave both food and alcohol.' The study comes after UK figures published last week showed deaths from alcohol have reached a record high. Some 10,473 deaths were registered in the UK in 2023 which were the direct consequence of alcohol, such as alcoholic liver disease. This was 4 per cent higher than the year before. On the NHS, people can access Ozempic for treating diabetes or Wegovy for weightloss if they meet certain criteria. Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, chairman of the Alcohol Health Alliance UK, added: 'We welcome any new research developments to help people with alcohol use disorders. 'While the evidence on the efficacy of these new drugs remains limited, we do have decades of robust research showing how to help people with alcohol problems and prevent alcohol harm more broadly by tackling the affordability, availability and marketing of alcohol. 'We continue to urge the Government to fulfil their promise to focus on prevention, which will always be better, and cheaper, than a cure. 'Further research on the drug's mechanism of action might also help to grow our understanding of the cause of alcohol dependence, which blights the lives of so many people, their families and their communities.'
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Alcohol-related deaths in UK hit record high of 10,473, ONS data shows
Alcohol-related deaths in the UK have hit a record high, with 10,473 people dying in 2023 as a result of heavy drinking, statistics have revealed. That is an increase on the 10,048 deaths the Office for National Statistics recorded across the four countries of the UK during 2022, the first time more than 10,000 such fatalities had occurred. Health experts said the figures were heartbreaking and tragic and the result of a surge in problematic consumption that began during the Covid lockdowns in 2020. They urged ministers to do more to tackle drinking-related harm, including bringing in minimum unit pricing (MUP) for alcohol. 'Today's figures paint a bleak picture of the ongoing harm caused by alcohol across the UK. It is unacceptable that year after year, we continue to see alcohol deaths rise while action from government remains woefully inadequate,' said Prof Sir Ian Gilmore, the chair of the Alcohol Health Alliance, a coalition of 60 medical groups, charities and treatment providers. Ministers should get tough on 'cheap, easily accessible alcohol and [the] aggressive marketing that normalises excessive drinking', he added. The number of people drinking at hazardous levels – above the UK chief medical officers' recommendations of 14 units a week – is increasing every year, the charity Alcohol Change UK said. It highlighted multiple health issues caused by alcohol, from headaches and sleeping problems to high blood pressure, anxiety and cancer. Ash Singleton, the charity's director of research and public affairs, said the ONS figures did not include the 'thousands' more deaths in 2023 that were caused by conditions in which alcohol was a significant factor, including cardiovascular disease, mental illness and cancer. Explaining its figures, the ONS said: 'Alcohol-specific deaths only includes those health conditions where each death is a direct consequence of alcohol – that is, wholly attributable causes such as alcoholic liver disease. It does not include all deaths that can be attributed to alcohol.' The ONS figures also showed: • Men are more than twice as likely as women to die as a result of excess alcohol consumption, continuing a long-established trend. • Scotland and Northern Ireland had higher rates of alcohol-related deaths than England or Wales. • In England, the north-east had the highest rate of deaths – 25.7 per 100,000 people – and the east of England the lowest rate at 11.5 per 100,000 people. The ONS data also showed that, although the number of alcohol-related deaths was the highest ever, the rate at which they occurred UK-wide actually fell, from 16.6 per 100,000 people in 2022 to 15.9 per 100,000 in 2023. However, the rate rose last year in both England and Wales to 15 and 17.7 per 100,000 respectively. Alcohol deaths remain more common in Scotland and Northern Ireland, as they have been for years. Rates there in 2023 were higher – at 22.6 and 18.5 per 100,000 respectively. Responding to the figures, Dr Katherine Severi, the chief executive of the Institute of Alcohol Studies, said: 'We've seen record-high deaths from alcohol in the UK every single year since the pandemic. This simply cannot become the new normal, so the government must make tackling alcohol harm a top priority in 2025. 'For the government's growth and health missions to succeed, we need measures that are proven effective at reducing alcohol harm. Minimum unit pricing for alcohol has reduced alcohol-specific deaths by 13% in Scotland, with the greatest benefits seen among the most disadvantaged communities.' Among the new policies needed, 'MUP for England is the top priority, as it would save the most lives the quickest', Severi said. She added: 'Alcohol kills people young, depriving thousands of families across the UK of their loved ones far too soon. From an economic perspective this places a strain on our productivity, with 150,000 years of working life lost due to alcohol in 2023 in England alone.'
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Number of UK deaths specifically caused by alcohol reaches new record high
The number of deaths across the UK specifically caused by alcohol has reached a record high, according to new figures. It is the fourth consecutive year a new record has been reported by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Experts called for measures such as minimum unit pricing, health warnings on labels and tighter advertising regulations to be brought in to tackle the 'growing health crisis'. Some 10,473 deaths from alcohol-specific causes were registered in the UK in 2023. These are deaths where health conditions are a direct consequence of alcohol, such as alcoholic liver disease. The 2023 figure is 4% higher than the 10,048 registered in 2022 and up 38% on the 2019 total. While the number of deaths increased, the rate fell slightly to 15.9 deaths per 100,000 people from 16.6 per 100,000 a year earlier. The rate of deaths in males (21.9 per 100,000) remained around double that in females (10.3 per 100,000) in 2023. Age-specific death rates fell for the first time since 2020 for people between the ages of 25 and 59, the ONS said. Death rates for those aged 20 to 24 and over 60 remained the similar to 2022. In England and Wales, death rates increased between 2022 and 2023 to 15.0 and 17.7 per 100,000 people. The increase in UK deaths in 2023 was driven by an increase in alcohol deaths in both England and Wales (up 4.6% and 15.6% respectively). Alcohol-specific deaths in Scotland remained stable and in Northern Ireland there was a 4.2% decrease. ➡️ — Office for National Statistics (ONS) (@ONS) February 5, 2025 The English region with the highest rate – 25.7 deaths per 100,000 – was the North East, while the East Midlands was the lowest at 11.5 deaths per 100,000. Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, chairman of the Alcohol Health Alliance, said: 'The drivers of this crisis are well known — cheap, easily accessible alcohol and aggressive marketing that normalises excessive drinking — as are the solutions proven to reduce harm. 'Measures such as minimum unit pricing, improved advertising regulations, mandatory health warnings on labels, and better investment in alcohol treatment services must be implemented across all UK nations without delay.' Minimum unit pricing was introduced in Scotland in 2018 and means alcohol such as beer, wine and vodka can not be sold for less than that 65p per unit. Sir Ian added that tackling alcohol harm 'must be central' to the Government's ambition of putting more focus on sickness prevention. 'Just as we have seen strong political will to tackle the harms caused by tobacco, junk food and gambling, we must apply the same urgency and commitment to reducing alcohol harm,' he said. 'Without meaningful intervention, these figures will continue to rise, and more lives will be lost.' Ash Singleton, director of research and public affairs at Alcohol Change UK, added: 'The tragically high number of alcohol-specific deaths, and the thousands more not reflected in this data where alcohol is a contributing factor, are not a coincidence, but a direct result of years of government inaction to tackle this harm to save and improve lives. 'The number of people drinking at hazardous and harmful levels, that is over the chief medical officers' low risk drinking guidelines of 14 units a week, increases year on year. 'To prevent these figures rising further, policymakers must get serious about alcohol harm by focusing on prevention.' Clare Taylor, chief operating officer at Turning Point, warned the 'continued high level of alcohol deaths is a public health crisis'. 'Alcohol related deaths are preventable, and access to treatment remains the key protective factor,' she added. 'While numbers in treatment have increased significantly, too many are not getting the support they need early enough and there is still a great deal of stigma associated with alcohol problems. 'Preventing alcohol harm needs to be a national policy priority. In 2023, there were 10,473 deaths from alcohol-specific causes registered in the UK, the highest number on record. This is 4.2% higher than in 2022 and 38.4% higher than in 2019, the last pre #COVID19 pandemic year. ➡️ — Office for National Statistics (ONS) (@ONS) February 5, 2025 'We need better education and training for healthcare professionals working in GP surgeries, A&E departments and on hospital wards, and better joint working with community drug and alcohol services.' Commenting on the figures, Pamela Healy, chief executive of the British Liver Trust, said: 'Unfortunately these figures aren't surprising. 'We are living in the shadow of harmful and hazardous drinking that is only increasing since the pandemic, and these latest figures highlight the terrifying scale of this growing health crisis.' Dr Katherine Severi, chief executive of the Institute of Alcohol Studies, said: 'We've seen record-high deaths from alcohol in the UK every single year since the pandemic. 'This simply cannot become the new normal, so the Government must make tackling alcohol harm a top priority in 2025.' Scotland and Northern Ireland continued to have the highest death rate in the UK, the ONS said. While Scotland's death rate remained stable at 22.6 in 2023, the rate in Northern Ireland decreased to 18.5 per 100,000 people. Laura Mahon, deputy chief executive of Alcohol Focus Scotland, said the figures demonstrate 'that Scotland and the rest of the UK is firmly in the grip of an alcohol health emergency'. 'The truth is that a majority of these deaths, mostly caused by liver disease, come as a result of people drinking heavily over the course of many years – with one in five Scots drinking at a level which could be harmful to their health, including increasing their risk of liver disease and cancer,' she added. 'Unfortunately, the Covid pandemic exacerbated drinking patterns and we saw those who were already drinking heavily increase their consumption. 'The industry seeks to keep people in the dark about the health harms of alcohol by failing to provide us with the clear information we need to be able to make informed choices about our health.'
