News from the APPG for Diabetes

APPG for Diabetes Meeting on the Childhood Obesity Plan A meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Diabetes took place to discuss where the current Childhood Obesity Strategy has been effective and also ineffective. Speakers included were: Caroline Cerny, Lead at Obesity Health Alliance Pav Kalsi, Clinical Advisor at Diabetes UK Dr Ana Pokrajac, Diabetes Consultant, West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust, ABCD Committee Member and Diabetes UK National Clinical Champion Professor Jack Winkler, Emeritus Professor of Nutrition Policy at London Metropolitan University Link to Speech on Linkedin here
Through the ever growing waistline of the country, amongst children as well as adults the NHS is now spending 10% of its budget on obesity, something which is entirely preventable. If someone is obese they are 5 times more likely to develop type-2 Diabetes. The NHS also spends an additional 10% treating complications from diabetes, most of which can be prevented.
Advertisements on TV and print have an impact on appetite, there is an increase in the amount eaten and craved after having watched adverts for high fat foods. This obviously has a negative impact on children and adults alike. The Government have made some headway into targeting obesity by banning advertising for junk food on children’s TV channels or whilst children’s TV is showing.
Though it has been argued that many children do not solely watch channels of children’s TV or during certain hours. During one 30 minute episode of Channel 4’s Hollyoaks the Obesity Health Alliance noted that there were no less than 9 adverts for fast and junk food. This is watched by many young people most days of the week, meaning their exposure to adverts of junk food is very high.
Ultimately there is no silver bullet for obesity, the healthy choice needs to be the easy choice for everyone if this epidemic is ever going to be controlled. Food labelling plays a large part in making these healthy choices, something universal and easy to understand. The traffic light system has been a success so far but needs to be extended to all products and foods.
In addition to the lack of policies relating to treatment there is a focus, particularly by the food industries, of reformulating food rather than an increase in healthier food and promotions on such items. Agriculture plays a large part in how a nation eats, what we grow shapes what and how we eat.
Diabetes Professor is Recognised for research Work Professor Melanie Davies CBE, professor of diabetes medicine at the University of Leicester and co-director of the Leicester Diabetes Centre, received the Platinum Clinical Excellence Award (CEA). Professor Davies was awarded a CBE in the New Years Honours list. To read more about this please click here.