From Nia Vaughan
Why do members of the public persist in continuing to live an unhealthy lifestyle, despite very public warnings and recommendations from various sources? Perhaps it is because they are highly confused about diet and lifestyle advice.
Your article on diabetes being caused by eating fish (30 September, p 18) clearly contradicts UK government advice on the consumption of fish. This tells us that to maintain a healthy diet we should consume at least two or three portions of oily fish per week, for their beneficial oils. Yet in your article Shing-Hwa Liu recommends we limit our fish intake to a maximum of two portions per week to avoid the dangers of mercury-induced diabetes.
This is not an isolated case. In the debate over whether children should be given the MMR vaccine, we had so-called “experts” supporting both sides of the argument, both lobbying parents to come round to their way of thinking. No wonder parents were, and still are, confused as to whether to have their child immunised.
We are constantly warned of the dangers of ingesting high levels of pesticides and herbicides from fruit and vegetables, yet we are told we should consume four or five portions per day. Some diet experts recommend a high-carbohydrate diet, while others say this is a recipe for obesity.
Advertisement
No wonder the public are perplexed by diet and lifestyle advice, and simply plough ahead with their old ways irrespective of government or “expert” advice. What and who are we actually supposed to believe?
Salford, Greater Manchester, UK
