In 2005, 21% of English adults were classified
as obese; this is expected to rise to 33% of men
and 28% of women by 2010. 58% of type two
diabetes cases and 21% of heart disease cases
are thought to be related to excess fat, and
obesity reduces life expectancy by an average
of 9 years. Currently obesity costs the NHS
?1bn a year, but recent warnings have hinted
that it may cost upwards of ?6.5bn, however,
other consequences, such as obese people
being unable to work, could cost a total of
?45bn by 2050 [1,2].
The government maintains that parents do not
recognise that their children are overweight;
underestimate how much unhealthy produce
they buy, and overestimate how much exercise
their children do. In addition, only 38% of adults
know that obesity can lead to heart disease, and
6% know about a link to cancer. These facts
have spurred the government into a three year
anti obesity campaign, called change4life which
began with an ?8 million television advertising
campaign earlier this year [3].
However, whilst obesity or body mass index
(BMI) could be seen as an excellent marker of a
poor diet, the diet can affect long term health,
without necessarily being correlated with a
changing BMI. For example, it is possible for a
person with a BMI in the normal region to have
an unhealthy diet which would make them
more susceptible to conditions such as heart
disease and cancer.
Spectroscopy Focus
Nutritional Biomarkers: We Know What You Had for Dinner!
Figure 1. Sucrose fructose ratio for normal weight and obese
people. a) biomarker approach, b) food diary data [5].
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It is estimated for example
that around 30% of all
cancers could be
preventable via
modifications to the diet.
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