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New guidance calls for reduction in salt and saturated fat in food
24th June 2010
Tens of thousand of lives could be saved by reducing levels of salt and saturated fat in processed food, according to latest guidance from NICE, the organisation responsible for providing national guidance on promoting good health.
The comprehensive NICE recommendations include a call for industrially-produced trans fats, which have been shown to significantly increase the risk of developing heart disease, to be eliminated from all food as done in some countries.
John Soady, a public health expert on cardiovascular disease at NHS Sheffield, who was involved in developing the guidance, said: “Cardiovascular disease - largely heart disease and strokes - is responsible for about a quarter of early deaths in the UK, which is almost entirely preventable. This equates to around 400 deaths in under-75 year olds per year in Sheffield. In this publication NICE makes recommendations from the scientific evidence of what more can be done to help us all live healthier and longer lives, by making it easier and cheaper for us to make healthy choices.”
“There are also lots of little changes we can make ourselves to help protect our hearts. By being aware of the amount of salt and saturated fat in our food by looking at the label, and reducing these can significantly lower our risk of cardiovascular disease.”
NHS Sheffield and Sheffield City Council have already put a range of measures in place in the city to help people stop smoking and be more physically active. The public will shortly be consulted on a Food Plan for Sheffield, which reflects the NICE recommendations in emphasising the importance of reducing the amounts of salt, trans fats and saturated fat consumed in city.
Councillor Steve Ayris, Sheffield City Council Cabinet Member for Independent and Healthy Living, said: "This guidance really ties in with the work of the Sheffield Food Plan, which is all about the ways that individuals and organisations can make small changes relating to food that add up to a big difference to health, the local economy and the environment.
"Through talking to people in Sheffield, especially children, we know there is a good understanding of the need to eat plenty of fruit and vegetables, but people don't always understand as much about the effects of salt and saturated fat. We hope that by giving people information about what is in the food they eat they can make positive choices about their diet and improve their long term health."
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