Cancer Research study reveals geographical disparity in unhealthy eating
Nearly two-thirds of UK adults are not eating their recommended five portions of fruit or vegetables each day, a survey has revealed.
The study, conducted by Cancer Research, showed a disparity between areas of the UK as 46% of people in the South West were eating their daily recommended allowance compared to just 17% of the population in Northern Ireland.
Sara Hiom, UK director of information for Cancer Research, said the results were "worrying", while Carlene Shoneye, specialist dietician at Weight Concern, said: "We know that eating a diet high in fruit and vegetables can reduce the risk of cancers, aid weight loss and help prevent obesity, but we are still not eating enough."
Previous research into the causes of cancer had found that a quarter of all cancer-related deaths can be linked directly to unhealthy diets and obesity.
Unhealthy eating has also recently been connected to liver failure following research carried out on mice. Researchers found that mice that were fed a high-glycaemic diet were found to have twice as much fat in their bodies, blood and livers as mice fed on a low-glycaemic diet. This suggested that foods such as white bread, rice, concentrated sugars and some breakfast cereals may lead to fatty liver disease, a precursor of liver failure.
Dr David Ludwig, lead researcher and director of Children's Hospital Bolton's Optimal Weight for Life programme, said: "Our experiment creates a very strong argument that a high-glycaemic index diet causes, and a low-glycaemic diet prevents, fatty liver disease in humans."
