Government launches a campaign aimed at reducing incidence of obesity. Sadly it will fail because they are still not giving the right information.

Government targets obesity rates
from BBC News website. - The webpage includes an audio extract from the BBC Radio 4 Today programme in which Health Minister Ben Bradshaw and Tam Fry of the National Obesity Forum discuss ways to tackle obesity. Tam Fry does briefly mention salt. I've never heard him mention it before today. He mentioned it on Radio 5 today as well - in relation to lower salt crisps. - Maybe he read my blogpost the other day...(o: - http://aboutsalt.blogspot.com/2008/12/why-does-national-obesity-forum-give.html If so, that's a little progress...(o: - Ben Bradshaw seems as ill-informed about the causes of obesity as all the other Government ministers are...)o:

Extract:

"The government has launched a healthy living campaign in a bid to stem rising obesity rates in England.

It includes television adverts warning too much body fat leads to cancer, type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Ministers warned that, if left alone, obese and overweight people would cost the taxpayer in England £50bn by 2050.

Tesco, Kellogg's and Unilever are among the companies who will be promoting the "eat well, move more, live longer" message in the "Change4Life" strategy.

The three-year initiative follows a Foresight report, published last year, which warned the government must act to stop Britain "sleepwalking" into a crisis.

The report, which was the largest UK study into obesity, backed by the government and compiled by 250 experts, said excess weight had become the norm in our "obesogenic" society.

By 2050 90% of today's children will be overweight or obese, it predicted."

I don't understand how the Foresight report can be claimed to be a 'study', since it is not backed by scientific research. - Nowhere does all the welter of words give the vital information that excess weight is caused by sensitivity to salt and NOT by overeating. - Sensitivity to salt leads to fluid retention and this sometimes leads on to fat retention. - Fluid retention (i.e. excess weight) is easily reduced by cutting down on intake of salt and salty food. Eating plenty of fruit and unsalted vegetables makes the fluid loss even speedier. These measures also reduce fat retention. In addition fat retention can be reduced by increasing intake of calcium, magnesium and potassium.

Exercise has many potential benefits but those benefits do not include weight loss. Exercise does not reduce excess weight, no matter how many health ministers and medics tell you that it does!

And WHEN is someone in Government going to inform people that the most extreme cases of obesity - morbid obesity - are the result of taking prescription drugs incautiously prescribed, often in high dose, by doctors inadequately informed about their side-effects? - If we could have a Government initiative to curb the massive over-prescribing by doctors that would reduce obesity very effectively indeed!

So another load of money, time and effort is going to be wasted in yet again dinning into people that they are eating too much and that they should cut down on fat...)o:

Here is the correct information:

Lose weight safely, reduce your risk of most cancers, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, stroke, heart disease, heart attack, vascular dementia, osteopenia, osteoporosis, hypercholesterolaemia, depression, liver and kidney problems, and improve your health in many other ways without drugs, hunger or expense by eating less salt! - Try it! - You will feel so much better!

Read my Mensa article on Obesity and the Salt Connection

And see Sodium in foods and

http://www.wildeaboutsteroids.co.uk/story.html - my 'political' page

http://www.wildeaboutsteroids.co.uk/socio.html - social and economic considerations

amitriptyline

prescribed steroids and HRT

See advice for pregnant mothers

Children and Obesity

Associated health conditions

and FAT RETENTION

I can be contacted via my website if you need my further help. My help is free.