Tag Archives: Healthy living

The shorter you are, the more your risk of coronary heart disease, according to a study carried out at the University of Leicester.

Coronary heart disease is when the arteries supplying blood to the heart become narrowed due to a build up of plaque. If a blood clot forms over the plaque then the risk of heart attack is raised, as the artery can become completely blocked. Coronary heart disease is the most common cause of premature death worldwide.

The researchers looked at genetic data from almost 200,000 people with or without coronary heart disease. They found that every 2.5 inch change in height affects coronary heart disease risk by 13.5%. So, for example, a 5 ft person has a 32% higher risk of coronary heart disease compared with a 5 ft 6 inch person because of their smaller height.

The take home message from this is that you can avoid coronary heart disease in the first place by exercising properly and eating sensibly, stopping smoking and cutting down on the alcohol. Ask your pharmacist if you need any advice.

The Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) has recent cast its eye over the UK’s high streets. It’s bad news if you live in the North or the Midlands where high streets are more likely to have higher concentrations of businesses which are viewed as harmful to public health.

Top of the league for places with the unhealthiest retail areas are Preston, Middlesbrough, Coventry and Blackpool. The healthiest high streets can be found in Shrewsbury, Ayr Salisbury and Perth.

The RSPH’s league table ranking 70 of the UK’s major towns and cities forms part of its Health on the High Street campaign, which aims to make high streets healthier by encouraging businesses to take steps to promote health while also giving further powers to local authorities in the areas of planning and licensing.

Based on public and expert opinion, the Society has identified bookmakers, payday loan shops, fast food outlets and tanning salons as having the most negative impact on health.

Pharmacies and leisure centres have the most positive impact on high street public health since they encourage healthy choices; promote social interaction; provide access to health advice and promote positive mental wellbeing.

Find out more at www.rsph.org.uk/healthonthehighstreet

Almost half of women (45%) and two fifths of men (37%) working in offices in the UK spend less than 30 minutes a day walking around at work, according to the ‘On Your Feet Britain’ campaign, which wants to encourage office workers to get off their backsides and improve their cardiovascular health.

The campaign kicked off on April 24 with offices being challenged to find inventive ways of getting employees on their feet, by holding walking meetings, getting outside at lunchtime, or simply taking five minutes to stand up and stretch.

A poll of 2,000 UK office workers found over half (52%) regularly eat lunch at their desk and almost a third (31%) sit for so long they even put off going to the toilet!

Almost eight in ten (78%) of those surveyed say they spend too much time sitting down at work and 62% fear this could have a negative impact on their health. They are quite correct. Sedentary behaviour can increase your risk of developing obesity and type 2 diabetes, as well as dying prematurely from cardiovascular disease.

To sign up to On Your Feet Britain visit www.onyourfeet.org.uk

The banks may have more to answer for than plunging the country into financial crisis. The new sporting craze of ‘walking football’ was created in 2011 to help keep older players involved in the game for longer, and rose to prominence after featuring in an banking advert last year.

Games are played at a slower pace to reduce the threat of pain, discomfort and injury, with players briskly walking through matches and reaping a multitude of health benefits along the way, according to Aston University researchers.

In an ageing society, with rising levels of obesity and the growing numbers of people with late onset diabetes, this more sedentary version of the beautiful game has the potential to make a significant impact.

In the UK around 22% of men die before the age of 65. Although physically active men have a 20-30% reduced risk of premature death, by the age of 55-64 only 32% of men say they take the recommended half hour of exercise five times a week.

If you have itchy feet go to www.walkingfootballunited.co.uk to find a club near you.

Many pharmacies now offer healthy living and wellbeing services as the NHS focusses on tackling an epidemic of largely preventable long term diseases. After all, it makes little sense for the NHS to spend more on stapling stomachs and gastric band operations than it does on effective obesity prevention programmes.

‘We may be living longer, but we risk spending many of these extra years in poor health unless we do a better job of tackling major risks such as obesity, poor diet, physical inactivity, smoking, and excessive alcohol consumption,’ Public Health England warned last month in its latest 5 year plan.

Among its seven health priorities are tackling obesity (particularly among children); reducing smoking (and stopping children starting); reducing harmful drinking; reducing the risk of dementia; and tackling the growth in antimicrobial resistance. So come and have a chat with us. You may be surprised at how we can help.