NHS doctors say there’s one diet that could reduce the risk of heart disease, dementia and cancer, and Dr Rupi Aujla said food can boost both physical and mental health.
He started Doctor’s Kitchen to teach people how to achieve a healthy lifestyle through cooking and to show the benefits of healthy eating and living. In the latest episode of the podcast, he speaks with Gregg Wallace Easy as pieHe said unhealthy eating habits could lead to death.
But eating the right foods can reduce the risk of deadly diseases and long-term conditions. Dr Awjila said: “Unhealthy diets are responsible for a huge number of deaths and ill health cases seen in the NHS.”
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“For example, obesity accounts for around 20% of the National Health Service budget, which equates to around £20 billion a year, so it’s the issue people think about most when it comes to nutrition,” Dr Awjila added. “Food is one of our most powerful medical tools in preventing a range of diseases.”
“A lot of different conditions are caused by nutritional deficiencies, but sometimes nutritional management can solve the problem. It’s mostly a preventative approach, not always. But food really does play a role.”
The doctor explained the symptoms and conditions caused by unhealthy eating habits: “You’re at higher risk of cardiometabolic disease, which is another way of saying type 2 diabetes for heart disease, but it’s known to be very harmful and increases your risk of things like dementia, as well as reducing your quality of life.”
“There’s also an association between poor mental health and poor metabolic health. There are a lot of chronic diseases that can be linked to inflammation, which is kind of a pretty vague and misunderstood concept, but it’s a really important process that the immune system uses.”
“Fighting pathogens like bacteria and viruses is why you and I are having this conversation in the middle of London and thriving when inflammation becomes too much. That’s when some problems arise, and this is usually called meta-inflammation, or long-term slow inflammation.”
“And that’s what’s at the root of the blood pressure problem — vague symptoms like brain fog, aches and fatigue. Many of you may be nodding along as I talk about these symptoms, because they are very normal for many people and may be rooted in inflammation.”
“And unfortunately, a lot of what we eat contributes to our inflammatory burden,” says Aujla, who says there are certain dietary approaches that can reduce the risk of certain diseases.
“There was a big trial done 20 years ago – now it’s called pre-med – which I’m sure many of you have heard of – that showed that the Mediterranean diet can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by 30 percent,” he said.
This diet includes “plenty of nuts and fish, plenty of good fats such as extra virgin olive oil, mostly plant-based foods with moderate amounts of meat, and plenty of the variety of vegetables that are available to us,” Dr Aujla added. “A study published in Neurology, another top journal, has shown that following a Mediterranean diet is associated with a lower risk of cognitive decline.”
“Many people may not realise this, but dementia is the number one cause of death in the UK. It’s a silent epidemic. I don’t think many people realise how big of an issue it is and that it may be partly to do with diet.”
“Cancer is an umbrella term for a variety of cancers, many of which develop for a variety of reasons, but generally, 30-40% of cancers can be prevented by adopting a healthy lifestyle, according to research from the World Cancer Research Fund.”
