As the United Nations High Level Meeting on Noncommunicable diseases (NDCs) concludes, some general resolutions have been agreed to – but public health researchers are deploring a lack of action and accountability from Member States.

The meeting was held in New York on the 19th and 20th of September, bringing together UN Member States to discuss how the address the issue of preventable non-communicable disease such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes.

This is the second high level meeting ever held by the UN, the first being convened to address the issue of AIDS in 2001.

The NZ government sent a delegation which included: Hon Simon Power (Minister of Justice), Professor Sir Peter Gluckman (Chief Science Advisor to the Prime Minister), Dr Mark Jacobs (Director of Public Health, Ministry of Health), Hon Jim McLay  (NZ Permanent Representative to the UN).

A political declaration was agreed to by the member states.

Five priorities put forward in the resolution, as explained by UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, are:

“First, implement a complete Government approach to adopting population-wide interventions that address risk factors.

“Second, undertake sustained primary health-care measures, including prioritized packages of essential interventions, along with palliative and long-term care, for those who already have non-communicable diseases or who are at high risk of contracting them.

“Third, strengthen the capacity of Member States to monitor such diseases and their risk factors and determinants, especially in lower-income countries; social data disaggregated by, for example, by gender, was also encouraged.

“Fourth, harness lessons learned from national HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria programmes in low- and middle-income countries for effective integration of communicable and non-communicable disease initiatives.

“Finally, prioritize the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases through commitments at the highest levels by Governments, the private sector, civil society, the United Nations and international organizations.”

Read can the full release from the United Nations here.

On behalf of New Zealand, Simon Power, made a statement. According the UN summary:

“Simon Power, Minister of Justice of New Zealand, said that death and disability from non-communicable diseases had reached epidemic proportions, pushing poor people further into poverty and impeding the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.  New Zealand was confronting the magnitude of the problem not only for its own people, but for those living in its Pacific Island country neighbours, where over 40 per cent of the adult population suffered from diabetes.  With this number set to double by 2030, non-communicable diseases were having a massive impact on their potential for social and economic development.”

Critical reception

Prof Beaglehole

One academic who has closely followed the lead up to the meeting is Prof Robert Beaglehole, emeritus professor at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, who was formerly director at the department of chronic diseases at the WHO.

Quoted in the Guardian health blog, he said “If you are in public health, this is a great step forward. I’m thrilled there is a high-level meeting,”

Prof Beaglehole and several colleagues had published an article in the medical journal Lancet ahead of the meeting, calling on policy makers to use the event as a catalyst for real change. The authors put forward a short-list of five priority interventions to tackle the increasing global NCD crisis.

You can read a summary of the article and further comments from Prof Beaglehole and colleagues, from the SMC, here.

On the subject of the meeting’s actual outcomes Prof Beaglehole told the Guardian,  “The action statements are disappointingly weak, if you don’t have a serious goal, how do you assess progress?…Without goals accountability becomes a problem”.

Professor Stephen Leeder from Sydney  Medical School, was less critical. Writing for The Conversation, he said, “Despite the lack of definite goals and targets, the United Nations High-Level Meeting in New York that concluded on September 20, was a positive step in the right direction for dealing with the scourge of NCDs.”

Another concern raised ahead of the meeting is the influence of commercial interests. The British Medical Journal published a feature last month highlighting the influence that tobacco and junk food corporations could exert on some Member States. The article noted that “GlaxoSmithKline, Sanofi-Aventis, and the Global Alcohol Consumers Group are included within the official US delegation. And drinks companies Diageo and SABMiller are coming from the UK”.

Speaking to Bloomberg Business Week, Prof Beaglehole said “I am not averse to them [corporations] lobbying… I am averse to governments taking them seriously.”

New Zealand’s obesity problem is getting worse and researchers are becoming more vocal about the need for action to avoid a looming health crisis.

The latest announcement comes in the form of a video produced by the University of Otago (embedded below). The video explores how to change the current “obesogenic” environment – which provides easy access to far too much energy-dense food and does not encourage physical activity – to one which supports people to make healthier lifestyle choices.

Prof Jim Mann, a prominent researcher featured in the video, says, “Prevention is the only realistic option to tackle the obesity epidemic. Once someone becomes obese or appreciably overweight it is a complex and costly exercise to treat their resulting health problems, especially diabetes-related ones. Nor is it easy for obese people to lose significant weight; this requires a substantial and sustained commitment in the face of an environment that strongly stacks the deck against them.”

You can read more commentary and learn about video here.

The video’s release follows last week’s publication of a letter from researchers (including Prof Jim Mann) calling for action on obesity. The open letter, published in the New Zealand Medical Journal, made a series of reccomendations, stating:

“These actions are urgently needed. Failure to address them and reduce obesity will be; costly to governments because of the immense associated health costs and losses in human productivity; costly to business through failure to maintain a healthy workforce; but ultimately the greatest cost will be to individuals who suffer the burden of poor health and earlier death.”

Upcoming Briefing

Tackling obesity and dieting will be the focus of a media briefing to be held by the SMC this Friday (19th August), ‘Tackling obesity – an innovative approach’ , featuring Prof Garry Egger from Southern Cross University, Australia and Dr Caroline Horwath from Otago University.

Prof Egger considers that obesity is ‘the canary in the mineshaft that should alert us to bigger structural problems in society’ and will be examining nutritional aspects of obesity from a big picture perspective, proposing a multi-disciplinary solution which, he argues, is currently under-developed in today’s nutritional sciences.

Dr Horwath proposes a move away from deliberately restricting energy intakes (or dieting) to encouraging eating in accordance with the body signals of hunger and fullness, with a strategy that takes the focus off body weight.

Please contact the SMC if you are a journalist who would like to attend this online briefing.

Health professionals have called on the government to halt New Zealand’s growing obesity problem, saying it will cost the healthcare system millions if not addressed urgently.

In a letter published in the New Zealand Medical Journal, several nutrition and public health experts* concisely laid out the case for urgency in acting against New Zealand’s rising obesity problem, stating:

“The results of the 2006/07 Health Survey showed that 63% of New Zealand adults were either overweight or obese. The direct healthcare costs of obesity are estimated to be between 2–7% of the annual healthcare budget, and this will balloon out of control if New Zealand’s weight gain is not reversed”

The authors also offered specific steps that need to be taken by the government end the country’s worrying upwards trend in obesity and it’s associated diseases, summarised below.

The letter’s call to action received wide coverage in New New Zealand.

Media coverage:

New Zealand Herald: Health professionals warn of impending diabetes crisis

Radio New Zealand: Government working on diabetes prevention – Ryall

Southland Times: Staff work to tackle diabetes head on

Dominion Post: Kiwis balloon to US plus-sizes (Also in: Taranaki Daily News, Timaru Herald, Southland Times, Sunday Star Times, The Press, Waikato Times, TVNZ News, Stuff.co.nz)

 Recommendations put forward in the letter:

• Develop and implement a national nutrition and physical activity strateg.
• Require schools to sell healthy food.
• Support the introduction of a simple front-of-pack traffic light nutrition labelling system.
• Ensure low-income New Zealanders have enough money to purchase a healthy diet.
• Continue work on promoting physical activity and reducing sedentary behaviour.
• Continue the excellent healthy nutrition social marketing campaigns.
• Ban the marketing of junk food to children.
• Push for change in the food and beverage industry, including strengthening national regulation.

*The signatories were: Associate Professor Louise Signal, Professor Jim Mann, Professor Murray Skeaff, Associate Professor Rachael Taylor (University of Otago); Dr Riz Firestone, Dr Matt Walton (Massey University); Associate Professor Cliona Ni Mhurchu, Professor Ross Lawrenson, Dr Rinki Murphy (University of Auckland); Professor Grant Schofield (Auckland University of Technology); Professor Norman Sharpe (National Heart Foundation); Dr Robyn Toomath (Wellington Hospital)

New research has revealed New Zealand has one of the highest rates of diabetes among developed countries, drawing attention to the causes and prevention of the disease.

The study, published in the Lancet, examined 2008 data on rates of diabetes globally and found that among wealthy countries New Zealand ranked in the top five in terms of blood glucose levels – an indicator of diabetes. The results of the study also revealed that incidence of diabetes was rising around the world.

Professor of Nutrition at AUT University, Elaine Rush comments:

“There has been a push recently in policy – and in public opinion to some extent – toward the idea of diet and health being wholly about personal choice – the idea that education should be enough to make people make better food and lifestyle choices and to be healthy as a result. This approach ignores the huge environmental factors that are at play. So much of our long-term health is determined before we are even born. Obesity and chronic disease such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease can have its origin in the nutrition of the mother while pregnant.”

New Zealand media has covered the findings, questioning experts on why diabetes is so common here and what can be done to change the situation.

Media Coverage:

New Zealand Herald: NZ’s soaring diabetes rate puts us with world’s worst

Dominion Post: Call for strategy on soaring diabetes

Dominion Post (update): Government defends efforts to tackle diabetes

Hawke’s Bay Today (via NZPA): High rates of diabetes in NZ

Radio new Zealand: Diabetes study prompts call for better prevention

Newstalk ZB: NZ has high blood glucose levels – report

TVNZ News: Global diabetes epidemic balloons

A UK study has found that, while vitamin D is essential for good bone health, there is no evidence for for claims of some of its other benefits, including combating heart disease and cancer.

Vitamin D is made by the body when skin is exposed to UV, and can also be found in some forms of food.  For a roundup of expert comment gathered by the SMC on the study, see here.

An excerpt: (read in full here)

“The study says that for most people, sunlight is the most important source of Vitamin D, and it notes enough can be created long before people start to get sunburn.

“It does not say how long people should go into the sun, but says for most, a few minutes in the middle of the day should be enough.”

SMC network expands to Canada

Monday sees the launch of the Canadian Science Media Centre, representing the SMC network’s first beachhead in North America.

Former Discovery Channel TV producer Penny Park will run the centre which will be nationally focused and feature content in both English and French and operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Already collaboration among the existing Science Media Centres is strong, so we look forward to welcoming the Canadians onboard and swapping expert contacts and ideas and working together on joint online briefings for journalists in both countries on internationally-significant research-related stories.

The network will expand again before the end of the year when SMCs in Tokyo and Copenhagen join the network, giving the SMCs a truly global footprint.

The SMC network so far:

NZ SMC (Auckland)

UK SMC (London)

AusSMC (Adelaide)

Canadian SMC (Ottawa)

Diabetes drug suspended in Europe, US

Overnight the European Medicines Agency (EMA) recommended the suspension of marketing authorisations for the anti-diabetes medicine Avandia (Rosiglitazone).

The medicine, which has been linked to a higher heart attack risk, will stop being available in Europe within the next few months. Avandia is available on prescription in New Zealand, but is not government funded. The SMC understands the drug isn’t widely used among New Zealand type 2 diabetes sufferers.

Dr Ellen Strahlman, chief medical officer at Glaxo Smith Kline, which makes Avandia, said the drug was safe when used correctly.

“There has recently been a rigorous scientific debate about the medicine, which has resulted in a divergence of scientific opinion about its possible benefits and risks. As a company, we believe that Avandia has helped millions of people manage their diabetes, and that it is a safe and effective treatment option when used appropriately.”

Associate Professor, Richard O’Brien, a Senior Endocrinologist at the Austin Hospital and Clinical Dean of Medicine at the Austin and Northern Clinical Schools, University of Melbourne told the AusSMC:

“My own personal view is that the data suggesting an increased heart attack and stroke risk with rosiglitazone are unconvincing. However, given that an alternative agent, pioglitazone, is available, it is perhaps not surprising that the regulators in Europe have acted to withdraw rosiglitazone. In the USA, regulators have severely restricted its use to patients with low cardiovascular risk who are already taking the drug, or to new patients who are not able to take pioglitazone.”

Further comments from scientists are available on the Science Media Centre website and at the AusSMC.

Confusion over whooping cough figures

Whooping cough has been in the media around the world as some countries reporting outbreaks of the disease which can be prevented through immunisation.

According to CBS: “California reported more than 4,200 cases so far this year, putting the state on track to break a 55-year record for infections. Nine people have died – all of them infants”.

In Australia, which is in the midst of a whooping cough outbreak, the disease has been blamed for the death of a five week old baby in Adelaide. The AusSMC has some expert commentary on that.

So what’s the situation in New Zealand? Well, the Ministry of Health moved this afternoon to correct some figures that have been circulating in the media. This from the MoH’s immunisation manager, David Wansbrough:

“Recent media stories about whooping cough (pertussis) were mistakenly based on information which is significantly out-of-date.

“The media stories appear to be based on a six-year old Ministry of Health press statement, which can be seen here.

“These stories include numerous verbatim quotes from that 2004 media release, and also cite old data as if they were current.

“The stories say the number of whooping cough cases “spiked in August” with ‘more than 350′ reported cases – which was in fact correct for August 2004. In August 2010 there were 79 reported cases in New Zealand, down from 110 in August 2009.

“The cumulative number of cases reported to the end of August 2010 was 621 – nearly 250 fewer cases than were reported in the equivalent period last year.”

Upcoming events of interest

Mental Health: Are we on the right track? – 25-26 September, Dunedin - A conference to explore the interface between mental illness and normal emotional responses, for example depression and sadness, and discuss alternatives to drug therapy.

“Eros” by Caroline Lark  - Ends 25 September, Christchurch – A comedy of contemporary manners, with a taste of nanotechnology.

17th Australasian Weeds Conference – 26-30 September, Christchurch – The conference will feature a special workshop on Use of sequencing, bar coding and other molecular techniques to study invasive weed taxonomy, systematics and genetics.

How effective are complementary cancer therapies? – 28 September, Wellington – Medical researcher, doctor and commentator Professor Shaun Holt will discuss the effectiveness of complementary therapies for cancer.

Special Lecture: The Challenge of the Human Brain - 30 September, Hamilton – Professor Richard Faull will talk about our new knowledge of the human brain, and the new strategies it opens up for fighting brain disease.

Putting the 2010 Canterbury Earthquake into Context: The Why and How – 5 Oct, Hamilton – Lecture by visiting US geophysicist Kevin Furlong.

Forestry GIS Conference 2010: Mapping Out NZ Forestry’s Future – 6 October, Rotorua – Scion-sponsored conference on applications of GIS in New Zealand forestry, including case studies on innovative use of the technology. Free to the public.

ERMA NZ – Submissions close on genetically modified pine application (Scion) – 6 October – The application is now open for submission from the public. Submissions close on 6 October 2010.

For these and more upcoming events, and more details about them, visit the SMC’s Events Calendar

SMC UK: Expert reaction to European Medicines Agency recommendation to suspend the diabetes drug Avandia (rosiglitazone)

Our colleagues at the Science Media Centre in London gathered comment on the move overnight by the European Medicines Agency to suspend the diabetes drug Avandia. Comment from New Zealand scientists will be added here as they come in.

Donald RJ Singer, Professor of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, British Pharmacological Society, said:

“People with diabetes are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease.  Despite lowering blood sugar, there is increasing concern that the tablet treatment for Type 2 diabetes rosiglitazone may in fact increase risk of heart failure and other serious cardiovascular disorders.

“Both the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the US drugs regulator, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have today issued important new guidance placing major restrictions on the use of rosiglitazone. The EMA recommended suspension of the drug throughout Europe, either as separate treatment or in combination tablets.

“The FDA has been less cautious, in allowing restricted availability of rosiglitazone to patients with Type 2 diabetes who are not able to tolerate other tablet treatments and would otherwise need to move on to insulin injections. It is interesting that the EMA has not yet taken the definitive step of complete withdrawal of the drug. However high quality evidence is needed to convince the EMA about justification of a future limited clinical licence for sub-groups of Type 2 diabetics in whom the benefits of rosiglitazone may outweigh its potential cardiovascular risks.

“It is very important that patients on rosiglitazone seek medical advice before changing treatment so that their condition remains well-controlled as their diabetic regime is adjusted. As advised by the MHRA for the UK in July, in countries where rosiglitazone is still available, it remains important that patients already at increased risk from heart failure or coronary disease seek medical advice as soon as possible to change to more appropriate treatment.

“The recent experience with rosiglitazone points to the need for rigorous clinical trials to ensure that the best quality studies are available at the earliest possible stage, to make sure that, for drugs in clinical use, the benefits of treatment outweigh any risks. This is both particularly challenging and important for conditions like diabetes in which patients are already at high risk of complications from the underlying medical disorder.”

Dr Terry Maguire, community pharmacist and former member of Committee on Safety of Medicines, said:

“It’s no great surprise that the EMA have taken this decision today, as the weight of evidence suggesting that the long term risks associated with Avandia use outweighed the benefits was compelling.  Certainly regulators and pharmaceutical manufacturers should learn lessons for this episode that will have left the public and health professionals concerned and a little confused about the licensing arrangements in the UK.  I would remind patients that they should now follow the advice of their medical practitioner or pharmacist regarding what action they should take personally if they are currently taking Avandia.”

Dr Anthony Cox, Lecturer in Clinical Therapeutics at Aston Pharmacy School, said:

“Rosiglitazone’s withdrawal from the European market was inevitable given the evidence of harm from cardiovascular events and its limited benefits.  There are lessons here about the whole process of drug regulation, from licensing to monitoring the drug once on the market and the role of the pharmaceutical industry in trial design and data collection.  The public perception of the pharmaceutical industry is important, as events that undermine trust are a public health concern.

“As an aside, while the EMA has been accused of being less open, in terms of decision making, than the US regulator, the decision of the FDA to allow the drug remain on the market using a restricted access process to control risk is surprising, and in the long term unlikely to be sustainable.

“People taking rosiglitazone should not panic; while important, the risks are small to the individual in the short-term, and they should consult with their medical practitioner or pharmacist before taking any action.”

Professor Kent Woods, Chief Executive of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), said:

“Patient safety is the top priority for the MHRA and we have been constantly monitoring the situation regarding rosiglitazone.  Today’s suspension means that clinicians should review all patients currently on rosiglitazone and take appropriate action, according to the individual clinical situation, to change to another suitable treatment.”

Other resources:

Below you will find a link to the video of the press conference held on Avandia at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) annual meeting in Stockholm yesterday.

This press conference was held within minutes of the EMA/FDA announcements on Avandia. You may quote any of the speakers directly from this video, and photos are available to use free of charge on the second link below.

The speakers, from left to right, were:

Professor Clifford Bailey EASD/Aston University, Birmingham
Professor David Matthews, EASD/ Oxford University
Dr David Kendall , American Diabetes Association (ADA)
Professor Ulf Smith, EASD President and University of Gothenburg

Video of Press Conference: webcast.easd.org/EASD_Press_Conference_Avandia.avi

For Photos: http://www.easd.org/easdwebfiles/annualmeeting/46thMeeting/Press/EASD-ADA-Statement/index.html

A simultaneous decision to significantly restrict access to the drug has been taken by the FDA in the US:

Here are two useful links to background information on Avandia.  Please bear in mind they are likely to be out of date for a little while yet as websites are updated.

Info from the US National Library of Medicine:

Info from the European Medicines Agency:

The 60 Minutes programme last Wednesday and again last night featured a story about former All Black Captain Taine Randell, who returned to his home town of Flaxmere in Hawkes Bay to promote a range of community based initiatives to help improve the health and wellbeing of the local population.

Taine Randell

One initiative was to promote a change in eating habits, by teaming up with a nutritionist Ben Warren. He invited a local group of M?ori to embark on a 10-week controversial diet, high in fat and saturated fatty acids, to help promote weight loss and to help manage Type 2 diabetes. Results showed significant weight loss (an average of 8kg each) and an improvement in blood sugar control.

We contacted a number of New Zealand health and nutrition experts to ask for their views on this approach.

Elaine Rush, Professor of Nutrition at Auckland University of Technology, commented:

“Great news about the weight loss, improvement in glycated haemoglobin and blood sugar levels. This is a fantastic community action.

“The number of people with diabetes (including an estimate of those who have not been formally diagnosed) in New Zealand is in the order of 300,000 not three quarters of a million as the documentary said. Of those about 40 000 are Maori. It is a serious, decimating disease and more New Zealanders are on the path to the high blood sugar necessary to diagnose diabetes and it is being diagnosed at a younger age.

“Two cornerstones of health are regular physical activity and a balanced diet. The increase in physical activity in Flaxmere, particularly within a social community context, is having and will have health benefits for that community.

“Maori (and other ethnic groups) are genetically diverse and for an individual it is impossible to predict with certainty whether a disease will occur or a diet will produce the expected or the same outcomes. However, there is increasing evidence, in general, that a diet low in carbohydrate has beneficial effects on blood sugars and lipids, reduction of diabetes risk factors and the cardiovascular system. A low carbohydrate can also can help promote weight loss independent of the amount of fat, saturated or not. The quality of a diet is not just about calories or one particular food. The diet of a person with diabetes is the same as the diet recommended for everyone.

Traditional foods are considered part of a healthy lifestyle due to the hunting, cultivating and harvesting involved in obtaining these foods. Before colonisation and the introduction of farmed animals the main source of protein was kaimoana and birds. These foods are low in saturated fat. Vegetables are necessary to provide essential nutrients and fibre to the diet – although as with meat, not all vegetables have the same nutritional quality. A variety of starchy and non starchy vegetables and of colours helps ensure variety of nutrients. Great to see that white flour and sugar are off the menu – they are nutritionally poor.”

Registered Dietitian MaryRose Spence, from Nutrition Consultants in Auckland, comments:

“There are some interesting points in this programme. The Maori people typically have a good muscle mass even if they carry excess body fat. If they are going to lose weight, they will need to start their day with protein at breakfast. The usual breakfast of cereal/ fruit would just leave them hungry for the rest of the day. The breakfast the programme is promoting- with protein e.g. eggs will enable them to lose weight comfortably. I am aware of this as I have the technology in my practice that accurately measures body fat and muscle.

”When anyone loses body fat – their cholesterol and blood sugars have to improve. So all the health benefits seen in Flaxmere, are due to a reduction in body fat. This is not specifically a diet for type 2 diabetes – but it is the body fat loss that brings the result.

”In years gone by when Maoris were hunter/ gatherers they could eat a higher fat diet with regular protein. They were more active and didn’t have the problems with high body fat. However these days with less exercise and some meals often consisting only of carbohydrate their body fat has gone up, and I believe the modification they will need to make for continued successful weight loss is to reduce the fat level. Sure they can have some fat but they aren’t the active hunter/gatherer and weight loss will get to a certain level and then become difficult.”

Amy Liu, Registered Dietitian from Metro Consultancy Ltd, comments:

“We all know that long term weight loss is achieved by healthy eating (healthy food choices and controlled portion sizes) and increase in exercise. Carbohydrates, fat and protein are the three main macronutrients that provide us with energy. This very low carbohydrate diet, high saturated fat diet suggested is definitely not recommended for long term weight loss for the general population, especially in those with diabetes. Diabetes is a metabolic disorder whereby the body cannot regulate blood glucose levels properly. Weight reduction is usually necessary in type 2 diabetes, especially centrally, through long term healthy lifestyle changes.

“A healthy long term eating approach is to promote a healthy breakfast that is high in fibre (to promote regular bowels), low in fat and sugar (to prevent overweight, especially around the stomach). Lunch and dinner should consist of adequate portions of protein, carbohydrates and vegetables. Snacking on healthy snack (food and fluid) options in limited frequencies is also important as this could contribute to a majority of the total calorie intake.”

A local scientist is convinced that he’s on the path to a treatment for Type II diabetes – a hormone produced in the duodenum which causes insulin resistance.

He also hypothesises that obesity is a symptom, rather than a cause, of diabetes.

An excerpt: (read in full here)

“Overseas researchers have already discovered a hormone called glucagon-like intestinal peptide (glp 1) and produced a drug which reduces the negative impact the hormone has on insulin.

“However, Prof Stubbs believes another hormone he has dubbed “factor X” is the hormone which needs to be targeted.

“Over the past 10 years, he and his team have developed a method of analysing blood and painstakingly separating and purifying it to isolate the hormones.

“Provided the research continues at the same pace, he hopes to have homed in on factor X within two years.”

Tim Cronshaw writes in Business Day about recent US research suggesting that processed meat can increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes, and the reaction from the New Zealand Meat Processors Association, which says the research could mislead kiwis.

Kiwis eat less processed meat than those who took part in the study, meaning that their risk of developing the problems might be far lower.

An excerpt: (read in full here)

“”The study concluded a higher level [of processed meat eaten daily] would increase risk and the fact New Zealanders eat on average easily half that much we can conclude the risk is a lot less.”

“The study’s authors suggested any risks associated with processed meat may be indicative of other lifestyle behaviours and these would influence the results. Overall, eating and other lifestyle habits such as maintaining a healthy body weight are important in reducing disease risk and promoting good health.

“The study found there was no increased risk from eating unprocessed red meat, such as beef, lamb or pork. The study had a focus on salt content which is a contributing factor to heart disease.”