England: lifestyle diseases rising

Binge drinking and obesity responsible for liver disease and diabetes

A study from the Department of Health has shown that binge drinking and obesity are leading to rises in ‘lifestyle illnesses’ such as liver disease and diabetes. However, the report also shows that premature deaths from heart disease and cancer are falling faster in England than the European average.

The Health Profile of England 2009 report shows that among other things England has the worst rates of obesity in Western Europe, and for the first time the number of deaths from liver disease in England has risen above the western European average. According to the study, almost one in four adults in England is now classed as obese, twice as many as in France, Italy or Holland. The scale of this problem is a major contributor to a rise in obesity-related diseases, such as diabetes, the figures reveal.

The binge-drinking culture in England is also having serious consequences for our health, the figures show. The number of deaths from liver disease is now also above the western European average, with the illness killing three times as many people in England as in Holland and twice as many as in Italy. Alison Rogers, chief executive of the British Liver Trust, said ‘The sad fact is that 95 per cent of all liver disease is entirely preventable, yet 300 people a week are dying from liver disease.’

Source: Telegraph.co.uk, 1 April 2010.

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