Unhealthy diet causing 14pc of deaths per year, says study

UNHEALTHY diet causes one in seven deaths in Britain every year, a Lancet study suggests.

The research found lack of fruit and fibre is taking the heaviest toll, fuelling conditions such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes, and identified lack of wholegrain, nuts and fruits as the worst elements of our diet.

Too much salt was the fourth biggest dietary risk factor, followed by too few vegetables. But fizzy drinks and processed meats such as ham and bacon were only minor contributors.

In total, poor diet led to 90,000 deaths in the UK a year – more than a seventh of the 607,000 fatalities annually. Globally, poor diet kills more peo- ple than smoking, the study found.

Dr Christopher Murray, a researcher from the University of Washington, said: “This study affirms what many have thought for several years – that poor diet is responsible for more deaths than any other risk factor in the world.

“Our assessment suggests the leading dietary risk factors are high intake of sodium, or low intake of healthy foods, such as whole grains, fruit, nuts and seeds, and vegetables.” The research looked at 195 countries around the world. The UK had the 23rd lowest mortality rate due to diet, with 127 deaths per 100,000 people in 2017.

This compared to 73rd place in 1990, when bad eating habits killed 345 per 100,000 Britons.

Globally, unhealthy eating was responsible for more than one in five deaths in 2017, fuelling 10.9 million adult deaths. More than 130 scientists from nearly 40 countries contributed the study, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The countries with the lowest rates of diet-related deaths included Israel, France, Spain, Japan and Andorra, while the highest included Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Papua New Guinea.