It transpires that the advice drummed into our heads over the years by Nanny, to eat five portions of fruit and vegetables a day is in fact bollocks.
BTW, what exactly is a "portion"?
Anyhoo, as with all of Nanny's advice it was based on flaky "science"; ie no rigorous research had been conducted before she happily dispensed the advice.
The British Journal of Cancer reports that official guidelines on eating five portions of fruit and vegetables a day may not have a substantial effect on cancer.
Scientists now "believe" (please note that we are still in "belief" mode) that the risk (please note we are talking "risk" here, not the same as saying "definite") of developing cancer is much more related to how much you eat and drink, rather than what you eat.
Factoid: during the Second World War, the British government told the people to eat more carrots on the false pretext that it would help them see in the dark. The reality was that there was a glut of carrots, and the government wanted us to bulk up our food intake with them.
The "good news", from Nanny's perspective, is that the current "belief" is that high levels of booze and fags increase the chances of cancer. This of course will give Nanny every opportunity to lecture us about how much we smoke and drink.
Here's the reality of this research.
We are now living longer than we have ever done before, hence cancer has a greater chance of developing.
Like it or not, the longer you live the greater the chance of developing cancer. There is a very strong link (in a large number of cases) between the way the body works and its interaction with background radiation (emanating from the earth and the sun); ie once you have had your "lifetime's limit" of background radiation your body is less well equipped to deal with cancerous cells.
Like it or not the older you are, the greater the risk of developing cancer (it's an odds thing).
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Ken
ReplyDeleteI read that the whole 5-a-day campaign was actually started by some collection of fruit and veg growers as nothing more scientific than a marketing campaign.
Right Ken, I understand it started in california. When they wanted to invent a number per day they just checked what people already ate and added a bit to it. Health by guesswork as per UK alcohol units recommendations
ReplyDeleteGeorge Speller
I listened to the "improving public health" announcement in Parliament yesterday....The basic idea was that Central Nanny was going to put the burden onto Local Nanny to bully the population into complying with her policy diktats......The minister also spoke about investment in more staff, rather than spending on more staff and he also spoke about a new agency, to oversee the work of the local authorities, to ensure they were delivering these new diktats.....Two things, first it sounded just like a new Labour annoucement, with the word investment used instead of spending or wasting and the setting up of yet another government agency; more jobs for the friends. I thought Vast Iron Dave was cutting down on Quangos and government agencies....Hey ho another broken promise!!!
ReplyDeleteSecondly, is it really the job of government/local authorities to dictate how people live their lives? Sounds like social engineering to me.....The old Soviet Union is alive and well and living in the UK.
I also notice that Nanny put up duty on alcohol above 7.5% ABV whilst cutting duty on alcohol under 2.5% ABV or Gnat's Piss as I call it.
Opppps Typo
ReplyDeleteVast Iron Dave should read Cast Iron Dave.
I rather like the idea of Vast Iron Dave
ReplyDeleteI'm no expert, but from what I've read, we develop small cancerous growths throughout our lives. Normally, our bodies are healthy enough to consume these tumors before they grow large enough to be discernable in any way. As we age, our immune system weakens, and for many people, it loses the capacity to overwhelm these growths. Hence, malignant cancer. Anyway, so I've read.
ReplyDeleteAs to fruit and veg, a fair amount of reading on the subject of nutrition leads me to believe that our grandparents had it about right. A balanced diet and some reasonable exercise, i.e. an evening stroll, a game of badmition or a little gardening, is about right for a paunchy, middle-aged duffer like myself. When the waistline expands too much, cut back on the portions, and hope for the best. Oh, and try to enjoy life while you've got it.
I am glad that those who think they are in control keep coming out with all this nonsense as it means you can continue knocking them and exposing them for what they really are ;)
ReplyDeleteThis is from the same stable of non-science which brought you Anthropogenic Global Warming, errm Climate Change, errm Climate Crisis. Utter Shubtill in other words.
ReplyDeleteOf course you can debunk anything on nthe grounds that "we are living longer" even though that applies to only some of us.
ReplyDeleteWine
ReplyDeleteBeer
Tobacco
Spuds
Tomato sauce
All fruit and veg or made from them.
Easy!