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** 17 July 2024
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** UK
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** King’s Speech: Tobacco and Vapes Bill will be reintroduced (#1)
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** BBC Breakfast show interview with Sue Mountain (#2)
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** UK adolescents get two-thirds of daily calories from UPFs, says survey (#3)
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** Call for action on UK men’s health as 133,000 die early every year (#4)
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** UK
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** King’s Speech: Tobacco and Vapes Bill will be reintroduced
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** King Charles has delivered the King’s Speech which outlines the Labour government’s legislative priorities. Below are the priorities relating to prevention and health:
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** Reintroduction of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill which includes a phased ban on smoking and regulation of vaping products to reduce youth vaping
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** Legislation to restrict junk food advertising for children and to ban them from buying high caffeine energy drinks
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** Mental Health Bill which sets out to "modernise" the Mental Health Act
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** Children's Wellbeing Bill which aims to promote wellbeing for children
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**
You can find our press release about the reintroduction of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill here ([link removed]) .
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Read Here ([link removed])


** BBC Breakfast show interview with Sue Mountain

In this morning's episode of BBC Breakfast (Wednesday), the hosts talk to Sue Mountain, a former smoker and cancer survivor, about proposals to phase out smoking to create a smokefree generation. Sue says that she doesn’t want anyone else to go through what she went through and that she would like the Tobacco and Vapes Bill to be included in the King’s Speech. Sue says that the Bill would also give the government the powers necessary to make vapes less appealing to children, but that they should still remain accessible and promoted to adults looking to quit smoking. You can watch the whole segment from 2:39:48.
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Watch Here ([link removed] )


** UK adolescents get two-thirds of daily calories from UPFs, says survey

Adolescents in the UK get nearly two-thirds of their daily calories from ultra-processed foods, or UPFs, with consumption highest among those from deprived backgrounds, researchers say.

The findings emerged from an analysis of food diaries kept from 2008 to 2019 by nearly 3,000 participants aged 11 to 18 as part of the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey.

While the authors found a slight decrease in UPF consumption, from 68% to 63%, over the course of the study, the findings suggest that adolescents in the UK are still eating more of the foods than other age groups.

Dr Yanaina Chavez-Ugalde, the first author of the study at the University of Cambridge, said the results highlighted the need to address the dominance of ultra-processed foods in adolescents’ diets.

“Adolescence is a unique stage in life where individuals gain a bit more independence and have more freedom of choice over what they eat. It’s also when health behaviours tend to solidify,” she said. “I think there’s a place for ultra-processed foods in our diets … but not as much as we’re consuming.”

Chavez-Ugalde said wholegrain cereals and breads could be an important source of fibre even when ultra-processed, but suggested that a reasonable intake was nearer to 20% than two-thirds. Comprehensive policy measures, including better food education, marketing regulations, and improved access to nutritious food, were needed to encourage adolescents to make healthier choices, she added.

UPFs are industrially manufactured foods containing preservatives, sweeteners, artificial flavourings, emulsifiers, and other additives. Typically high in sugars, saturated fats, and sodium, they are associated with a poor quality diet and have been linked to numerous health risks including obesity, type 2 diabetes and cancer.

The study, a collaboration with the University of Bristol, found that while on average 66% of adolescents’ calories came from UPFs, there were differences across society. Those from more deprived backgrounds consumed more UPFs (68.4%) than those from less deprived backgrounds (63.8%). Consumption was higher in people from white v non-white backgrounds (67.3% compared with 59%), and in the north of England compared with the south, at 67.4% v 64.1%. Across the age ranges, 18-year-olds ate a slightly lower proportion of UPFs, at 63.4%, than 11-year-olds at 65.6%.

“If you ask a lot of people, they know how to eat healthily,” said Chavez-Ugalde. “UPFs replace or displace minimally processed food because they’re more convenient and cheaper.” Details are published in the European Journal of Nutrition.

Source: The Guardian, 17 July 2024

See also: European Journal of Nutrition - Ultra-processed food consumption in UK adolescents: distribution, trends, and sociodemographic correlates using the National Diet and Nutrition Survey 2008/09 to 2018/19 ([link removed])
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Read Here ([link removed])


** Call for action on UK men’s health as 133,000 die early every year

More than 133,000 men die early every year in the UK, equating to 15 every hour, according to a report calling for urgent action to improve men’s health.

Two in five men are dying prematurely, before the age of 75 and often from entirely avoidable health conditions, research by the charity Movember found.

Almost two in three men – 64% – wait more than a week before visiting a doctor with symptoms, while 48% believe it is normal practice to avoid health check-ups. Less than 40% take up the offer of an NHS health check for which they are eligible.

“The report findings should serve as a wake-up call to the unacceptable state of men’s health across the UK,” said Michelle Terry, the chief executive of Movember. “For too long, men’s health has been relegated to the sidelines of broader health conversations. Men’s health doesn’t exist in a vacuum.”

The report found the health of men in the UK was worse than in many other wealthy countries, while those living in the UK’s most deprived regions are 81% more likely to die prematurely than those in the wealthiest.

A boy born in the UK in 2021 can expect to live to 78.7 – four years less than a girl, more than three years less than boys in Switzerland, 2.6 years less than boys in Australia and 1.3 years less than boys in Ireland, the research found.

The leading causes of death, such as lung cancer and heart disease, could be prevented by stopping smoking, reducing alcohol intake, eating well and attending health screenings and appointments, according to the report.

William Roberts, the chief executive of the Royal Society for Public Health, said: “Too many men are dying too young and too many men experience poor health due to preventable conditions.

“It is critical that we address the underlying causes of poor men’s health. Men’s health affects us all and we need to see it as a critical part of a healthy nation.”

The report highlighted how men are less likely to have healthy lifestyles than women, and are more likely to smoke, drink alcohol, take drugs, have high cholesterol and high blood pressure.

They are also less likely to attend health screening appointments and check-ups with their GP, putting them at risk of late diagnosis of illnesses such as cancer.

Source: The Guardian, 17 July 2024

See also: Movember – The Real Face of Men’s Health ([link removed])
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ASH Daily News is a digest of published news on smoking-related topics. ASH is not responsible for the content of external websites. ASH does not necessarily endorse the material contained in this bulletin.

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