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** 22 August 2024
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** UK
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** Does eating meat raise the risk of diabetes? (#1)
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** Exactly how much the average obese person costs the NHS every year, according to new study (#2)
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** The Times view on hereditary nature of gambling addiction: Generation Game (#3)
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** UK
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** Does eating meat raise the risk of diabetes?

Newspaper headlines are warning eating "a ham sandwich a day" increases the risk of type 2 diabetes - but experts say it is not that simple.

A study of nearly two million people from 20 different countries found a link with both red and processed meats, such as steak, bacon and sausages.

While the research has been done well, the findings are nuanced and should not cause fear or panic.

It is sensible to limit intake, in line with healthy-eating guidelines, they say, but the study should not wipe meat off the menu.

The research, in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology, external journal, has an inevitable limitation - it cannot prove meat causes diabetes, because it is impossible to fully discount all the other possible risk factors, such as other foods people in the study ate and the lifestyle they led.

Dr Duane Mellor, of the British Dietetic Association, said: "The authors did try to control for other risk factors associated with increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, including having a higher body weight, smoking, alcohol, low vegetable intake."

There was some missing data for the effect of family history and waist circumference, which can be associated with diabetes, but the researchers say they are confident in the link that they found.

Prof Naveed Sattar, an expert in cardiometabolic medicine at the University of Glasgow, said: "This is an important study which, despite the inevitable observational nature of the evidence, is very well done.

"The data suggest cutting red and processed meats from diets may not only protect people from heart disease and stroke but also from type 2 diabetes, a disease on the rise worldwide."

In the study, two thick slices of ham a day (50g; 1.7oz) or a small (100g) steak appeared to be a risk.

The NHS already advises people eating more than 90g (cooked weight) of red or processed meat a day to cut down to 70g, because experts believe eating too much processed meat can cause bowel cancer.

Lead researcher Prof Nita Forouhi, from the University of Cambridge, said: "Our research provides the most comprehensive evidence to date of an association between eating processed meat and unprocessed red meat and a higher future risk of type 2 diabetes.

"It supports recommendations to limit the consumption of processed meat and unprocessed red meat to reduce type 2 diabetes cases in the population."

Source: BBC, 21 August 2024

See also: Diabetes & Endocrinology - Meat consumption and incident type 2 diabetes: an individual-participant federated meta-analysis of 1·97 million adults with 100 000 incident cases from 31 cohorts in 20 countries ([link removed](24)00179-7/fulltext)
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** Exactly how much the average obese person costs the NHS every year, according to new study

The average overweight Brit costs the health service at least £1,000 in healthcare costs per year, a new major analysis suggests.

But those considered very obese, with a body mass index over 40, cost the NHS around £5,000 per head, due to weight-related health troubles.

The study, by firm Lane, Clark & Peacock (LCP), found that the problem is seemingly growing larger with time.

The average annual cost of treating the most severely obese Brits has risen from £1,300 in 2015, to £1,900 by 2019, the final year of the study.

This is thought to be because improvements in treatments have extended people's lives, prolonging the need for care.

A wealth of evidence shows that obesity can increase the risk of a host of life-limiting conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and several types of cancer.

Excess weight is estimated to be a factor in one in 20 cancer cases in Britain, according to Cancer Research UK.

By specific obesity-related health condition, heart failure was found to be the costliest per patient, tallying between £3,650 and £4,320, depending on weight classes.

This was followed by kidney disease, costing between £2,900 and almost £4,200, and cardiovascular disease, coming in at nearly £2,700 to £3,500.

Other costly health conditions linked to excessive weight included fixing damage to joints such as the knees as well as mental health conditions like depression.

The analysts, who published their findings in the journal Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, found obese Brits accounted for 72 per cent of all healthcare costs recorded.

The authors said this was due to those in the heaviest category being more likely to have multiple health conditions linked to obesity that racked up the bills.

Dr Jonathan Pearson-Stuttard, lead author of the analysis and head of LCP's analytics team, said: 'Our studies highlight that healthcare costs increase with BMI and are greatest in those living with more severe obesity and those living with common comorbidities such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes and depression.'

But he added this cost also demonstrated the benefit, to both patients and the taxpayer, that could be gained by both preventing obesity.

Responding to the new analysis a Department for Health and Social Care spokesperson said: 'The link between the health of the nation and our economy is clear, which is why we're taking bold action to fix our NHS and tackle the causes of sickness.

'We have commissioned Lord Darzi to establish the state of the nation's health service.

'His findings will inform our 10-year plan to radically reform the NHS and build a health service that is fit for the future and able to confront the obesity crisis head on, shifting our focus from treatment to prevention to ease the strain on the NHS and help people to live well for longer.'

Source: The Daily Mail, 20 August 2024

See also: Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism - Variations in healthcare costs by body mass index and obesity-related complications in a UK population: A retrospective open cohort study ([link removed])
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** The Times view on hereditary nature of gambling addiction: Generation Game

This article delves into the significant harm caused by gambling addiction in Britain, drawing parallels to the tobacco industry. It notes that gambling may contribute to around 650 suicides annually, particularly among young men who are easily ensnared by online betting through smartphones. The ease of access has made financial ruin more common, with Britons being some of the biggest online gamblers in the world.

Gambling generates around £15 billion annually in the UK, with online betting being the second largest earner after lotteries. This profitability extends to the government, which benefits from various gambling-related levies, thereby slowing regulatory actions.

A report by GambleAware highlights the hereditary nature of gambling addiction, revealing that 1.6 million children in Britain live in households where an adult suffers from this addiction. These children are four times more likely to develop gambling problems themselves, leading to long-term negative effects.

The article criticises the normalisation of gambling, facilitated by widespread online betting ads and the industry's attempts to self-regulate through funding harm-reduction efforts. However, the industry's reliance on addicted gamblers for profit complicates genuine efforts to address the issue.

The article urges the government to take more decisive action, noting that gambling was only briefly mentioned in Labour's manifesto. It also underscores the dire consequences of gambling addiction on children, who are either directly drawn into the habit or set up for future suffering. The piece concludes by calling for a more robust response from both regulators and those profiting from gambling.

Source: The Times, 22 August 2024

Editorial note: GambleAware is funded by voluntary donations from the gambling industry.
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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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