The pressures on our health service are well known. The reasons for that pressure, however, are not always clearly understood. While part of the explanation for the growing crisis in the NHS is that more people are living longer, a lesser recognised factor is that ill health often begins in childhood.
A quarter of children in Northern Ireland are either overweight or obese, a problem which will remain with them into adulthood. It will become most apparent when they reach their forties.
From that age, obesity can ultimately lead to a range of physical and mental conditions, including type 2 diabetes, cancer, heart disease and dementia – all of which contribute significantly to the everyday strain which impedes our health service.
Read more: Sugar restrictions in early life ‘may lower chronic disease risk in adulthood’
A major contributory factor to obesity is the consumption of sugar. When we eat or drink too much of it, the extra insulin in the bloodstream can cause the walls of our arteries to become inflamed, to grow thicker and stiffer and to run the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Too much sugar is bad for us.
A scientific study published last week showed that limiting sugar during pregnancy and in the first two years of a child’s life can cut the risk of the child later having type 2 diabetes by 35 per cent. The risk of high blood pressure was reduced by 20 per cent.
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A significant source of excess sugar in children’s diets is confectionery. Despite that, it is still common practice in our society to reward children with sweets.
However, as Professor Donal O’Shea of University College Dublin pointed out in this paper yesterday, the marketing of sweets is specifically aimed at targeting children by placing them at their eye level in many shops and supermarkets.
Read more: ‘Now is the time to adopt plain packaging for confectionery to protect children’s health’
To offset the attraction of sweets he argued for putting them in plain wrappers, similar to cigarettes. While it may seem Scrooge-like to restrict children’s consumption of sweets, it is now increasingly obvious that economically we cannot afford to continue as we are.
Sugar has now replaced tobacco as the main driver of ill health in our society.
It may seem Scrooge-like to restrict children’s consumption of sweets, but it is increasingly obvious that we cannot afford to continue as we are
Read more: 12 easy ways to reduce sugar in your child’s diet
Tobacco has been relegated as a risk by introducing limits on its advertising and making all brands appear roughly the same in terms of packaging. Health minister, Mike Nesbitt, is already placing increased emphasis on preventing, as well as curing, ill health.
It is a sound policy, although successfully implementing it will require a change of individual and societal behaviour. He might begin by taking Prof O’Shea’s advice to control the marketing and packaging of all sweet products.
It will be a controversial policy, but in a choice between controversy and preventing ill health, there can only be one winner.
