Could a increase in rickets be partly due to :
Less people eating breakfast cereal which is often enriched with vitamin D.
More people missing breakfast.
Less people drinking milk or drinks containing milk rich in calcium.
More people drinking fizzy drinks or cordials
Less people eating sandwiches with butter or vitamin D enriched margarine (margarine has to be vitamin D enriched by law).
More people eating junk food or diet food (low fat spreads do not have to be vitamin D enriched)
People spending less time outside in the sun, or if they do more wearing high factor sun block.
Poor immigrants from far poorer countries who have rickets when they arrive in the UK.
Should the UK enrich more foods with vitamin D as some other countries do.
We hardly had any sun last year, at least not enough of it. I had to resort to taking vitamin D drop supplements.
I think fewer people are consuming less butter, because they've been scared off from eating it by their doctors.... due to heart conditions.
Recently, research has said it's okay to eat butter.
In comparison to the UK total population the figures are tiny, but the official stats paint a worse picture as to numbers and trend than the BBC report.
It appears HSCIC make no conclusions as to the causes of the increase in any of those conditions so it might an idea to investigate that before coming to a conclusion that suits one's objectives. The report also says admissions due to malnutrition as the primary cause fell from 2012-13 to 2013-14.
'In the UK, our skin isn't able to make vitamin D from sun during the winter (November to March) as the sunlight isn't strong enough. However, we can get vitamin D from our body's stores and from food sources during this period.'
It appears HSCIC make no conclusions as to the causes of the increase in any of those conditions so it might an idea to investigate that before coming to a conclusion that suits one's objectives. The report also says admissions due to malnutrition as the primary cause fell from 2012-13 to 2013-14.
A small fall in primary cause over one year vs a massive rise in admissions as primary or secondary condition over the last five years. The trend is clear, the report is not claiming the trend is down, it is saying the trend is up, and it has risen rapidly, and something should be done.
The BBC used less stark official figures showing the increase in just one year when it was reporting what the faculty of public health was saying about malnutrition. That report was probably due to the recent open letter to the government in the lancet by the faculty of public health with 170 signarories.
Professor John Ashton, President of FPH, said: “We have to face an uncomfortable truth: we may be facing a public health emergency in the UK. The spectre of Oliver Twist is back. Children are going hungry in the UK: they may not be eating gruel but their parents are having to choosing cheap food that is filling but not nutritious.
“This crisis can’t be explained away by assuming people are not budgeting properly or don’t know how to cook. There are three main reasons for the increased demand for food banks: increasing food poverty; stagnant income and wages among low-paid people; and the rising cost of food. UK food prices have risen 12% in real terms since 2007, and in the same period, UK workers have suffered a 7.6% fall in real wages.
“It therefore seems likely that increasing numbers of people on low wages are not earning enough money to meet their most basic nutritional needs for maintaining a healthy diet. We should not accept this in the UK, the world’s sixth largest economy and the third largest in Europe.
Vice president of the Faculty of Public Health, John Middleton, said food-related ill health was getting worse "through extreme poverty and the use of food banks".
"It's getting worse because people can't afford good quality food. It's getting worse where malnutrition, rickets and other manifestations of extreme poor diet are becoming apparent," he said.
It's interesting that most of the foods listed i.e ...oily fish, nuts, broccoli etc, are excellent winter foods. They keep you warm.
Cod Liver oil as a supplement is excellent. Foods in season also serve their purpose and are much cheaper to buy.
I recall as a child being given a tablespoon full of Cod Liver Oil and Malt (Have seen on sale in Boots) every day, it was lovely stuff! If my memory serves me right, Mum's got it off the NHS, same as they did dried baby milk - maybe someone older than me knows better? I know we always looked forward to it, and seldom got unwell.
You have focused on individual items and ignored the advice to eat a variety of these foods to maintain health, and ignored the advice to use supplements if you have a diet that restricts your access to foods containing vitamin D. And you still haven't suggested a way for British people to access adequate vitamin D during the winter months if, as you are implying, getting enough vitamin D from food sources would not be sufficient during this period.
My point is that the amount of vitamin D in these foods is too low.
You could eat 2 eggs, a tin of mackerel and some margarine every day and you still wouldn't be getting enough vitamin D.
A small fall in primary cause over one year vs a massive rise in admissions as primary or secondary condition over the last five years. The trend is clear, the report is not claiming the trend is down, it is saying the trend is up, and it has risen rapidly, and something should be done.
Yet there appears to be no conclusive evidence as to why, just conjecture. Until you know why then doing something about it is rather tricky.
Looking at the data (top link) and as reviewed by Fullfact a while back the data appears to be looking at "finished admission episodes" so it appears to not be looking at patients but rather admissions so this could be linked to a greater number of repeat admissions.
"People with certain long-term health conditions can’t always retain all the nutrients they need – particularly the elderly, who might also struggle to make the trip to the supermarket. With this in mind, the higher incidence of malnutrition might also reflect broader demographic trends, including the fact that the UK’s population is ageing. The most recent Nutrition Screening Survey showed that those aged 65 plus were more likely to be malnourished than those who were younger. In addition, it may also be that hospitals are now more likely to screen a patient for symptoms of malnourishment. "
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I think the verdict is still out on what these statistics are really telling us.
In comparison to the UK total population the figures are tiny, but the official stats paint a worse picture as to numbers and trend than the BBC report.
Looking at the data (top link) and as reviewed by Fullfact a while back the data appears to be looking at "finished admission episodes" so it appears to not be looking at patients but rather admissions so this could be linked to a greater number of repeat admissions.
"People with certain long-term health conditions can’t always retain all the nutrients they need – particularly the elderly, who might also struggle to make the trip to the supermarket. With this in mind, the higher incidence of malnutrition might also reflect broader demographic trends, including the fact that the UK’s population is ageing. The most recent Nutrition Screening Survey showed that those aged 65 plus were more likely to be malnourished than those who were younger. In addition, it may also be that hospitals are now more likely to screen a patient for symptoms of malnourishment. "
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I think the verdict is still out on what these statistics are really telling us.
I recall as a child being given a tablespoon full of Cod Liver Oil and Malt (Have seen on sale in Boots) every day, it was lovely stuff! If my memory serves me right, Mum's got it off the NHS, same as they did dried baby milk - maybe someone older than me knows better? I know we always looked forward to it, and seldom got unwell.
Oh, yes! That brings back memories. We were given malt and cod liver oil separately. The malt was delicious and I made made sure I got a huge dollop of it!
Wasn't too keen on cod liver oil, though. It was mixed it with a little orange juice to make it taste better.
I think condensed orange juice was also free on the NHS.
Iodised salt has been around for years. Cerebos is the original brand. For some reason it went out of fashion but you can buy it in some supermarkets, otherwise online.
All they have to do is cut down on champagne and holidays in Fiji, simples!
No doubt that there is a significant rise in food related problems under this government.
The only reasonable deduction is that this government are the cause.
I imagine some people will try and "blame the victim", a popular pastime for Conservatives and their supporters...
Its always someone elses fault isn't it..
Slow news day at the BBC? We're talking 6500 people here - think how many homeless people there are, crack/heroin addicts, alcoholics or people with mental issues and you get to that number really fast. Someone wake me up when we don't have some of the most obese poor in the world and people aren't literally dying to get here instead of staying in mainland Europe.
Someone wake me up when we don't have some of the most obese poor in the world and people aren't literally dying to get here instead of staying in mainland Europe.
Comments
We hardly had any sun last year, at least not enough of it. I had to resort to taking vitamin D drop supplements.
I think fewer people are consuming less butter, because they've been scared off from eating it by their doctors.... due to heart conditions.
Recently, research has said it's okay to eat butter.
I dare say it is 'possible' But then that would be down to personal laziness and stupidity and not government policy.
It appears HSCIC make no conclusions as to the causes of the increase in any of those conditions so it might an idea to investigate that before coming to a conclusion that suits one's objectives. The report also says admissions due to malnutrition as the primary cause fell from 2012-13 to 2013-14.
It's interesting that most of the foods listed i.e ...oily fish, nuts, broccoli etc, are excellent winter foods. They keep you warm.
Cod Liver oil as a supplement is excellent. Foods in season also serve their purpose and are much cheaper to buy.
The BBC used less stark official figures showing the increase in just one year when it was reporting what the faculty of public health was saying about malnutrition. That report was probably due to the recent open letter to the government in the lancet by the faculty of public health with 170 signarories.
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(14)60536-5/fulltext
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-28883892
My point is that the amount of vitamin D in these foods is too low.
You could eat 2 eggs, a tin of mackerel and some margarine every day and you still wouldn't be getting enough vitamin D.
All processed foods should be enriched with vitamin D and they should fortify salt with iodine.
BBC News - Worrying levels of iodine deficiency in the UK
Yet there appears to be no conclusive evidence as to why, just conjecture. Until you know why then doing something about it is rather tricky.
http://www.hscic.gov.uk/article/2021/Website-Search?q=Malnutrition+&sort=Most+recent&size=10&page=1&area=both#top
https://fullfact.org/factchecks/malnutrition_on_rise_economic_crisis_blame-29275
"People with certain long-term health conditions can’t always retain all the nutrients they need – particularly the elderly, who might also struggle to make the trip to the supermarket. With this in mind, the higher incidence of malnutrition might also reflect broader demographic trends, including the fact that the UK’s population is ageing. The most recent Nutrition Screening Survey showed that those aged 65 plus were more likely to be malnourished than those who were younger. In addition, it may also be that hospitals are now more likely to screen a patient for symptoms of malnourishment. "
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I think the verdict is still out on what these statistics are really telling us.
Back in 2009 the headline was
Malnutrition affecting '3m in UK'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7879201.stm
Oh, that's alright, then!
I'm sure you are doing just fine, GGP. Just be grateful you don't have to undergo fingerprint security checks before you buy your fruit and veg
I wasn't implying it was the same.
Oh, yes! That brings back memories. We were given malt and cod liver oil separately. The malt was delicious and I made made sure I got a huge dollop of it!
Wasn't too keen on cod liver oil, though. It was mixed it with a little orange juice to make it taste better.
I think condensed orange juice was also free on the NHS.
Its always someone elses fault isn't it..
Slow news day at the BBC? We're talking 6500 people here - think how many homeless people there are, crack/heroin addicts, alcoholics or people with mental issues and you get to that number really fast. Someone wake me up when we don't have some of the most obese poor in the world and people aren't literally dying to get here instead of staying in mainland Europe.