After careers as a teacher, cookbook author and TV chef, Sue Kreitzman’s life took a different path.
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Around one in four cases of heart disease and associated deaths could be linked to eating ultra-processed crisps, biscuits and ready meals, a study suggests.
Previous research has shown UPFs are linked to poor health but there is debate over the scale of the effect and the extent to which processing itself is to blame compared with the fact many UPFs can cause health problems as they are high in fat, sugar and salt.
Now new research published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine and presented at the at the International Congress on Obesity in Mexico suggests deaths will fall significantly if people cut their intake of UPFs.
Examples of UPFs include ice cream, processed meats, crisps, mass-produced bread, some breakfast cereals, biscuits, many ready meals and fizzy drinks.
They also tend to include additives and ingredients that are not used when people cook from scratch, such as preservatives, emulsifiers and artificial colours and flavours.
In the UK, 56 per cent of calories on average come from UPFs, rising to 68 per cent in teenagers.
These figures are far higher than in comparable European countries such as France and Italy.
In the new study, experts from the University of Montreal, Canada, used Canadian patient data to look at cardiovascular disease – conditions that affect the heart and blood vessels, cases of heart attack and stroke, plus deaths and disability related to cardiovascular disease.
Examples of UPFs include ice cream, processed meats, crisps, mass-produced bread, some breakfast cereals, biscuits, many ready meals and fizzy drinks.
Analysis showed between 23 per cent and 38 per cent of all cardiovascular disease events, such as heart attacks and strokes, in 2019 were attributable to UPF intake.
This equates to 58,200 to 96,000 new cases of cardiovascular disease plus 10,600 to 17,400 cardiovascular disease-related deaths, plus disability for thousands of patients.
Reducing UPF consumption by 20 per cent to 50 per cent may have prevented 16,800 to 45,900 new cases of cardiovascular disease, plus 3,100 to 8,300 cardiovascular disease-related deaths, the experts said.
They concluded: ‘These findings reinforce the need for clinical and public health interventions aimed at reducing UPF intake as a key component of cardiovascular disease prevention.
‘To drive meaningful change in dietary patterns, comprehensive structural measures are essential.
‘These include regulations on food taxes, front-of-package labelling, marketing restrictions and reformulation targets aimed at improving food quality.’
Maeva May, director of policy for the Stroke Association said: ‘Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability, and this research is an important reminder that the food environment around us can influence people’s risk.
‘It adds to growing evidence that diets high in ultra-processed foods may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, including stroke.
Analysis showed between 23 per cent and 38 per cent of all cardiovascular disease events, such as heart attacks and strokes, in 2019 were attributable to UPF intake.
‘We still need to understand more about the role of processing itself, but we already know that too much salt, sugar and saturated fat can raise blood pressure and other major risk factors for stroke.
‘People should not be blamed for choices shaped by price, availability and relentless marketing.
‘Government and industry must do more to make healthier food affordable, accessible and easier to choose, so fewer people and families have to live with the impact of stroke.’
However, Professor Alberto Fiore, from Abertay University in Dundee, said the study had limitations.
He cautioned: ‘This is a modelling study, not a clinical trial — it does not measure what actually happened to people who ate more or fewer ultra-processed foods.
‘It takes a 2015 dietary snapshot, applies a risk multiplier borrowed from studies in France, Italy and the US, and projects how many CVD events might be attributable to UPF consumption.
‘The authors’ own sensitivity analysis reduces the headline figure of 96,000 avoidable CVD cases by nearly 40% depending on which risk estimate is used — that is a very wide uncertainty range for a number being put in front of the public.
‘But the deeper problem is one this study cannot resolve: are we actually measuring the effect of industrial processing, or are we simply measuring the well-known harms of a poor diet that happens to come in a packet?
‘The paper itself tells us the answer. It acknowledges that ‘ultra-processed dietary patterns’ are characterised by excess free sugars, saturated fats, and sodium, and low fibre — and it separately estimates that targeting free sugars and sodium alone could prevent thousands of CVD deaths per year in Canada.
‘If standard nutritional harms already explain the observed risk, then the concept of ‘ultra-processing’ is doing no independent scientific work whatsoever.’
He said when the CVD findings are broken down by food subtype, they are ‘overwhelmingly driven by sugar-sweetened beverages and processed meat products.
‘These are foods whose harmfulness has been established for decades on purely nutritional grounds — high free sugar, high saturated fat, high sodium, low fibre — with no need to invoke the concept of industrial processing at all.’
I do envy the train spotter man on TikTok called Francis Bourgeois. He has taken the art and passion of train spotting to another level. It’s that passion that has rubbed off on me, when I see some of the last surviving structures of our closed railway lines in the Vale of Glamorgan, such as at Wenvoe, Sully and Cowbridge.
This week in the Barry and District we look at a lovely yellow and terracotta looking building: known as St. Athan Road station, just Northwest of the Aberthaw Cement works, and just up a private little road slip from the St. Athan to Barry Road; just behind the remaining railway bridge abutment.
Better known as the Aberthaw to Llantrisant line, it opened according to Wikipedia in 1865, and lasted in use for precisely 100 years. But, with many things on the internet, when checking my library, this is not completely correct. Infact, the Cowbridge to Aberthaw stretch of the Aberthaw to Llantrisant line didn’t open until October 1, 1892. Although the original Llantrisant to Cowbridge stretch did open on the September 18, 1865.
Readers, let’s go and double check the date for the building this week. Where better to turn to than my Ordnance Survey maps. St. Athan Road station building is marked on the map of 1898, but not on the 1877 map. And thus, we could closely agree that it was opened in 1892.
The railway line closed for goods and farm produce in 1965. But, even before that date, passengers stopped using the Aberthaw to Cowbridge stretch in 1932. Even after 1932, slowly but surely sections of the track were taken out of use, until it finally closed completely.
It’s interesting to see the now modern corrugated roof, thankfully protecting the late Victorian yellow and red brick below. And, maybe without taking apart this wonderful building we can only guess what name is on the brick ‘frogs’. Remember there were brickworks in Barry in the 1890s when this building was being constructed, then opened as a station in 1892.
The northern gable has a very tall doorway, small window, and the brickwork is intact. This is not a huge station building, but it did the job at the time. But, slowly overtime less and less passengers used the station, and the staff were finally transferred elsewhere when the station closed on May 5, 1930.
Although the track associated with our railway building has long since been removed, and with it most of the other structures and platform. Our station building is a great survivor of change in the Barry and District.
The location of St. Athan Road station is not totally random, as it was associated not only with the passenger service, but it was surrounded by the limestone quarries and farmers also. It does make one wonder why it was not built using local blue Lias limestone? However, it was likely that the Limeworks itself at this locality opened at the same time as the station. Limestone could now be moved around the Vale where required by the railway.
Thanks for joining us, for more of our heritage which gives the Barry and District its identity.
The Daily Mail spoke with infectious disease experts, food safety specialists, and public health officials who weighed in on the outbreak’s source, risk factors and proper prevention methods.
The fundraiser was part of GFit Coaching’s weekly outdoor bootcamp held at Marconi Holiday Village every Saturday throughout the summer.
The event was inspired by a member of the GFit community, whose young son was born with a serious heart condition.
This made the British Heart Foundation a cause especially close to the hearts of participants.
With sunshine, music, and a lively atmosphere, people of all ages enjoyed the fitness-filled morning, while friends and family relaxed around the field.
Every penny raised was donated to the British Heart Foundation, with this year’s total surpassing last year’s thanks to the generosity of participants and local businesses.
These businesses donated prizes, refreshments, and other items, contributing to the day’s success.
The event was a celebration of fitness and community spirit, bringing people together for a cause that resonates deeply with many.
GFit Coaching has thanked everyone who attended, donated or supported the event in any way.
The bootcamp will continue to run every Saturday throughout the summer at Marconi Holiday Village, led by GFit Coaching.
A blood test for the Alzheimer’s-linked protein p-tau217 found that those with very high levels faced a 38 percent risk of cognitive impairment within five years and 78 percent within ten.
Alicia Upano has crafted a beautiful debut novel full of emotion, heartache and discovery, which follows the aftermath of a tsunami in Hilo, Hawaii. A Hawaiian herself, the author immerses the reader in the island’s cultural practices and everyday routines; its tropical beauty is emphasised, but Everything To The Sea isn’t your typical summer read. The heartbreaking twists and gut-wrenching turns make for a story you become emotionally attached to.
Flitting between Kenji and Jane’s experiences of the tsunami, we get a dichotomy of lives that have each taken a different turn. Both characters, though highly flawed, are extremely likeable making you root for their love right until the very end. Themes of family, friendship, belonging, tragedy and love all culminated to create a relaxing book that is impossible to put down.
The dynamic of the push and pull between the comfort of your home town and the aspirations of a far-away city has a relatable quality; anyone struggling with homesickness, or dissociating from where they feel they belong, will understand Everything To The Sea on another level. A thoroughly enjoyable, inventive twist on a classic romance tragedy; if only I could read the ending again for the first time.
All babies born in England will be tested for a rare genetic condition from birth in a major win for former Little Mix singer Jesy Nelson.
The pop star, 35, welcomed news there will be a full rollout of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) screening after previously describing it as a ‘postcode lottery’.
Nelson began campaigning for newborn babies to be screened after her twins, Ocean Jade and Story Monroe Nelson, were diagnosed with the rare condition, which causes progressive muscle wastage.
The Department of Health and Social Care said the national newborn screening programme for SMA will be rolled out as part of an evaluation programme from the end of this year.
Hundreds of thousands of babies will be screened as part of the simple heel prick blood test shortly after birth.
SMA can leave babies unable to sit up, crawl or walk. In the most severe cases, it stops them breathing or swallowing.
Early treatment, however, can delay the progressive nature of the illness and help children live longer.
Nelson said: ‘After years of campaigning, it means so much to see the heel prick test for SMA begin rolling out from October, with implementation continuing throughout 2027 until every newborn screening laboratory across the UK is offering the test.
The former Little Mix star revealed her daughters Ocean Jade and Story Monroe have been diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy.
‘Today is a day of hope.
‘Knowing that future families will have access to early diagnosis and the opportunity for the best possible outcomes is something I’m incredibly proud to have supported.
‘This is a victory for every family affected by SMA. Whilst it can’t change the future of our children, I know it marks the beginning of a brighter future for future SMA families.’
In a post on Instagram last month, accompanied by a video of her becoming emotional, Nelson said a previous announcement that screening would come in October was a big milestone but would ‘only cover 72 per cent of England’.
She added: ‘That means some babies won’t be screened simply because of where they live. A postcode lottery like that just isn’t fair.
‘Every baby deserves the same chance, every baby’s life matters.’
The new development means all parts of England will be covered by the evaluation, which will inform future recommendations on testing newborns by the UK National Screening Committee.
Giles Lomax, chief executive officer of Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) UK, said: ‘After years of campaigning by the SMA community and our partner organisations, this is a hugely important step forward.
The star struggled to hold back her tears as she opened up about the diagnosis process
‘When newborn screening for SMA begins later this year in October, thousands of babies will benefit from earlier diagnosis and access to life-changing treatment.
‘We are delighted to see the confirmation that the remaining six screening laboratories will begin screening from October 2027, this demonstrates a clear commitment to making newborn screening available across England.
‘No family should face a postcode lottery when it comes to a condition where every day without treatment can lead to irreversible loss of motor neurons.
‘We are incredibly grateful to the families, clinicians, researchers, supporters and campaigners who have helped us reach this point, and we look forward to the day when every newborn across the whole of the UK is offered this simple, life-changing test.’
Health Secretary James Murray, said: ‘No parent should have to watch their child lose the ability to move or breathe, knowing that earlier treatment could have made all the difference.
‘This expansion means babies across England will be tested from birth, giving them the best possible chance of a full and healthy life, and another step in the right direction as we do all we can to reduce health inequalities.
‘I’m in awe of the campaigners who’ve worked tirelessly to raise awareness of this rare but very serious genetic condition. We’re moving faster and rolling screening out more widely to ensure children get the best treatment from the earliest possible moment.’
Scotland is establishing a similar screening programme drawing on funding from the private sector.
The Department of Health and Social Care is taking a similar approach and seeking £5 million of investment to expand evaluation.
South Wales Police said:
A 27-year-old man from Barry was arrested at around 10.40am this morning following a report of a man with a knife in Holton Road.
Police say no-one was injured and the arrested man remains in custody.
Local residents took to social media to describe their shock, with one saying it was “getting scary now anywhere you go” after seeing the man in the town centre. Another witness wrote that they had seen him being arrested and called it “scary times we live in”.
Parents also reported that a nearby school was placed into lockdown as a precaution. One poster said staff were “so good with it” and hoped that nobody had been stabbed.
Police enquiries into the incident are continuing.
It’s one of the healthiest cooking oils on the market. But it turns out the avocado oil in your favourite snacks might be fake.
