Maintain pressure on reforms to protect NHSForget healthy eating – order a double McStatin
We like a buy one get one free offer, don’t we? How many times have you bought a pack of four yoghurts knowing full well that all you need is four yoghurts only to pick up another four because they are free? We reason that someone may come round unexpectedly and want a yoghurt. “Cup of tea?” we ask. “Or maybe a yoghurt?”
But, as the use by date approaches, we still have five yoghurts. A man comes to read the meter - you offer him yoghurt. The paperboy gets a yoghurt. Finally, you wander the streets looking for homeless people offering them yoghurt because wasting food feels like a sin, doesn’t it?
The next day, flushed with relief that all the yoghurt has been distributed, you go shopping. This week, yoghurt is four for £1.50 or eight for £2.00. The last four yoghurts are 12p each. What a bargain.
Eventually, you become known as yoghurt man. People cross over when they see you, convinced you will give them yoghurt.
‘I’ll have the gristle burger with cheese and double the statins, save me going to the gym later. And a milkshake, please’
But how would it be if they gave you something you didn’t want free with your four yoghurts? A badger, for example? Or a life sized cutout of Anne Robinson? Might you give up yoghurt? Probably. Or if they gave you something they decided you needed but you may not have given much thought to? Like statins?
A research team from Imperial College London have recommended that fast food outlets sell statins for 5p to counteract the cholesterol of burgers or kebabs.
“Ketchup with that, sir?”
“Yeah, go on.”
“Mustard?”
“Yeah, why not?”
“And statins?”
“How much are the statins? And what do they taste of?”
“5p sir, and we can make them taste of herring if you want.”
“OK, I’ll have the gristle burger with cheese and double the statins, save me going to the gym later. And a milkshake, please.”
These researchers have done their homework. They calculate - having taken data from trials involving 43,000 patients - that a statin a day can neutralise the risk of cardiovascular disease linked to a daily intake of a 7oz cheeseburger and a small milkshake.
The British Heart Foundation, quite understandably, points out that an unhealthy diet causes more problems than simply raising cholesterol. However, it’s an interesting idea, isn’t it?
Given that attempts to change attitudes to healthy living over the past 20 odd years have met such resistance, might it not be an idea to just hand out statins in the hope of preventing cardiovascular disease? And, in so doing, save the health service billions?
Of course it feels odd, doesn’t it? Like we are abandoning health messages.
And it feels like a failure in some way. A failure to encourage personal responsibility and self care. But maybe the reality is that we are failing. And statins in kebab shops is as good as we can hope for so, perhaps, we should just hand them out. And quietly note that we live in a funny old world.
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Readers' comments (4)
mike | 21-Aug-2010 2:01 am
Sure, let's just give up. It doesn't matter what piss poor lifestyle choice you make, we'll give you whatever you need so you can live longer while you slowly destroy your body. Eat like crap and don't excercise? Don't worry here's a gastric band and another pie! Take whatever drugs you can get your hands on? Heres a shedload of methadone, would you like a few needles with that? For crying out loud!
This excusing of peoples behaviour and the taking away of any form of responsibility or accountability for their actions is exactly what is wrong with the health paradigm of the NHS, it is the reason we have so many lifestyle related problems!
What is needed is the exact opposite! We need a stick as well as a carrot! And refusing treatment for lack of compliance with lifestyle choices may provide that stick. Not encouraging or supporting poor lifestyle choices as many do now will provide another branch to that stick.
And just because health education is failing at the moment, doesn't mean we should just give up.
Tough measures do work.
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mike | 21-Aug-2010 2:05 am
Oh and as for the extra free yoghurts? Get them and save them for the week after! Or have them extra as a treat, then run a little further or do some harder excercise! For gods sake, it isn't rocket science! The same is true for any food and excercise. Eat healthy balanced meals, and excercise. By all means have treats but don't go overboard; if you do on occassion (we all do) then just up your excercise to counteract it!
Why do so many people not grasp this simple ideal?
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Monika Roberts | 25-Aug-2010 1:39 am
In principle, I agree with Mike. But practically...we have been educating the public for...I don't know how long on diet and exercise and still the public's BMI is rising, not falling! Giving up? I don't think so! But treating todays public as well as tomorrows...I think that's why I'm a nurse! So, a burger with extra statins? Yes, please! I was going to eat it anyway! And...here's 5p for the next guy to get some too, as he REALLY needs it!
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Anonymous | 11-Sep-2010 4:23 pm
my grand parents used pure butter lard and good old fashioned home baking... grandad was in his 70s and nan was 98 when they passed away... they worked hard labourious jobs... both smoked used salt and sugar and grandad took alcohol... neither were obese or troubled with CVD high cholesterol was unheard of and they always looked healthy... wonder why? mind you they never ate take away rubbish but then in the 70's how many burger bars existed in tyne and wear?
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