Tim Spector names health issue that is costing the NHS more than smoking - Daily Record

Dailyrecord

Tim Spector names health issue that is costing the NHS more than smoking - Daily Record"


Play all audios:

Loading...

Tim Spector names health issue that is costing the NHS more than smokingWhile tobacco kills someone in Britain every five minutes, another issue is costing the NHS even


more.CommentsLifestyleRachel Cronin Trainee Trends Writer11:50, 20 May 2025Updated 11:57, 20 May 2025Poor nutrition is costing the NHS and the government more than smoking(Image: Getty


Images) It's widely acknowledged that smoking is a huge public health problem in the UK. In fact, Cancer Research explains that tobacco kills one person every five minutes, and roughly


78,000 people in the UK die from smoking-related health issues every year.


But Professor Tim Spector has shed light on another public health problem that costs the government and the NHS more money than smoking. Health issues related to poor nutrition cost more


than that of smoking, and take up a worrying majority of the NHS's budget, according to a video the scientist recently posted on Instagram.


‌ Tim Spector is one of the top 100 most-cited scientists in the world, and is a leading expert on food health and nutrition. He boasts a huge following of more than 697,000 on Instagram,


where he often shares his extensive knowledge on nutrition and the food industry.


‌ A recent video on the expert's Instagram showed a clip of Professor Spector in conversation with NYU Professor Dr Brian Elbel, where they discussed the health effects of smoking versus


poor nutrition.


Dr Elbel said: "In most western countries, it was smoking that was the number one killer, and the number one contribution to healthcare cost. Now, it's really shifted to being diet and


nutrition, and metabolic diseases like that."


Poor nutrition can indeed lead to several metabolic diseases, according to Mayo Clinic. These include type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.


Article continues belowContent cannot be displayed without consent Other metabolic disorders like metabolic syndrome, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and chronic kidney disease can be


linked to poor diet and nutritional deficiencies.


The doctor then explained how the two public health problems of smoking and poor nutrition can have different effects on health.


‌ He continued: "One of the things about smoking is that it kills you quickly and pretty dramatically.


Tim Spector is one of the top 100-cited scientists in the world(Image: Mike Marsland/Getty Images for Hearst UK) "For something like nutrition, a lot of these things are slowly building over


time. And once you're at these points, and have these health conditions, treating them is actually quite difficult."


‌ Many metabolic diseases require lifelong management, and can be difficult to treat due to their wide range of symptoms and complications. Spector chimed in, explaining the difference in


NHS healthcare costs for each of these issues.


He said: "We know that food companies are making around £30billion worth of profit in the UK, and it's probably costing between £90billion and £140billion in healthcare costs directly, which


is getting close to the NHS budget. So these are massive numbers that are potentially preventable."


More on Tim SpectorSeven food to slash inflammationHot drink to prevent heart diseaseWe don't need this drink to be healthyTruth about 'deadly' carbs‌ Last year, research found that the UK’s


nutrition crisis and addiction to unhealthy food costs £268billion a year in total, including healthcare costs, social care costs, and welfare.


It was found that total healthcare costs caused by poor nutrition added up to £67.5billion a year, which as Spector suggested, far outstrips the budget for the whole of the NHS.


Previous research has shown that health problems related to poor nutrition do indeed cost the NHS more than what they spend on smoking-related issues.


‌ In fact, in 2022, reports found that NHS England spent £2.6billion a year on smoking-related healthcare.


While this figure excludes the rest of the UK, it is significantly less than what the NHS is spending on nutrition.


Article continues below And the pattern is similar for Scotland. The Scottish Government's 2018 report indicated a £5.8billion economic burden from poor diet, whereas the cost of smoking is


estimated to be in the range of £300m to £500m.


Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today.


You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland.


No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team.


All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in!


If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'.


We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like.


To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.


If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.


Trending News

Expanding the RNA-recognition code of PUF proteins

Classical PUF proteins bind to single-stranded RNA with sequence specificity that can be engineered by site-directed mut...

Rapid and systematic analysis of the rna recognition specificities of rna-binding proteins

ABSTRACT Metazoan genomes encode hundreds of RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) but RNA-binding preferences for relatively few ...

wirelesslens | TechCrunch

wirelesslensHeadlines Only Load MoreJuly 15, 2025Boston, MA From seed to Series C and beyond—founders and VCs of all sta...

Mysterious exploding star and more — january’s best science images

DRY JANUARY. The Kashmir Valley is a popular winter tourist destination owing to its mountains and ski resorts — such as...

Comment on “gut-associated lymphoid tissue contains the molecular machinery to support t-cell-dependent and t-cell-independent class switch recombinat

TO THE EDITOR: Although recently confirmed in an activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) reporter mouse model,1 AID ...

Latests News

Tim Spector names health issue that is costing the NHS more than smoking - Daily Record

Tim Spector names health issue that is costing the NHS more than smokingWhile tobacco kills someone in Britain every fiv...

Labor’s factions are as strong as ever

The Conversation UK receives funding from these organisationsLabor has returned the right to choose frontbenchers to the...

Uk criticized for embryo screening decision

Access through your institution Buy or subscribe The UK's Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has c...

Long–range mapping of gaps and telomeres with RecA–assisted restriction endonuclease (RARE) cleavage

RecA–assisted restriction endonuclease (RARE) cleavage is a method to perform sequence–specific cleavage of genomic DNA,...

Diverse intracellular pathogens activate type III interferon expression from peroxisomes

Type I interferon responses are considered the primary means by which viral infections are controlled in mammals. Despit...

Top