Obesity balloons as three-quarters of people fail to eat ‘five a day’

THREE-quarters of adults are failing to eat the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables a day amid a rise in fatty diets, according to the latest official figures.

An NHS review of obesity and eating habits in England found that in 2015 the number of adults eating fewer than three portions a day was higher than the total who followed the advice.

Adults aged between 16 and 24 were the group least likely to consume the recommended five portions, although more than half of younger teenagers were complying with the guidelines.

NHS Digital said that in England in 2015-16 more than 525,000 hospital admissions involved obesity as either the primary or secondary diagnosis and that the rate had more than doubled in the past five years.

Obesity related admissions rose by 20 per cent last year alone, with women accounting for about two thirds of the cases, it said. The five-a-day campaign is based on World Health Organisation advice which recommends at least 400g of fruit and vegetables each day to lower long-term risk of heart disease, stroke and some cancers.

Most fruit and vegetables, although not potatoes, count towards the recommended total. However, experts have warned that a rising number of people are turning from a balanced diet to growing dependence on high-calorie, high-salt ready meals and fast food.

In February, a study from Imperial College London suggested that adults should be eating as many as 10 portions of fruit and vegetables a day, but senior nutritionists argued against updating the official advice because it risked putting “too much pressure” on people. The rate of obesity – defined as a body-mass index of 30 or more – has risen from 15 per cent of adults in 1993 to 27 per cent in 2015. The report also showed higher rates of child obesity, with more than one in five pupils in primary school reception class being overweight or obese in 2015-16.