Tim spector says this costs the nhs more than smoking does

Smoking is universally recognised as a significant public health issue in the UK, with Cancer Research highlighting that tobacco claims a life every five minutes, resulting in approximately

78,000 UK deaths annually due to smoking-related illnesses. Yet, Professor Tim Spector has revealed another public health concern that is proving more costly to the government and NHS. The

financial burden of health complications arising from inadequate nutrition surpasses those associated with smoking, consuming a substantial portion of the NHS budget, as revealed in a recent

video by the scientist. Prof Spector is ranked among the top 100 most-referenced scientists globally, and is an authority on dietary health and nutrition. Also the co-founder of ZOE, the

expert took to Instagram video with NYU's Doctor Brian Elbel, discussing the health impacts of smoking versus substandard 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.", reports the Daily Record. According to the Mayo Clinic, poor nutrition can increase the risk of various metabolic disorders, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.

Other metabolic disorders like metabolic syndrome, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and chronic kidney disease can also be linked to poor diet and nutritional deficiencies. The doctor

further explained the impact each issue has on health, elaborating: "One of the things about smoking is that it kills you quickly and pretty dramatically. 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." These

metabolic disorders often need lifelong management and pose challenges around treatment due to their vast array of symptoms and adverse effects. Spector also noted the difference in NHS

healthcare costs for each of these issues. He explained: "We know that food companies are making around £30 billion worth of profit in the UK, and it's probably costing between £90

billion and £140 billion in healthcare costs directly, which is getting close to the NHS budget. So these are massive numbers that are potentially preventable." Last year, research

found that the UK’s nutrition crisis and addiction to unhealthy food costs £268 billion 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 studies have indicated that

the NHS incurs higher costs dealing with health issues stemming from poor nutrition compared to those related to smoking. In 2022 alone, it was reported that NHS England's annual

expenditure on healthcare related to smoking amounted to £2.6 billion. Whilst this figure does not encompass the entire UK, it is considerably lower than what the NHS spends on nutritional

concerns.