Overview

• An Action on Smoking and Health analysis finds that roughly 1 million adults in England (2.2% of the population) combine smoking, drinking over 14 units weekly and being overweight, exposing them to elevated risks of cancer, heart disease and liver disease.
• Prof Sir Ian Gilmore warns that the interplay of smoking, heavy drinking and obesity could shave at least 20 years off life expectancy.
• Another 22% of adults exhibit two of these risk factors, placing further strain on NHS services and contributing to lifestyle-related healthcare demand.
• Health secretary Wes Streeting is set to unveil a 10-year NHS plan next week that will shift the health service’s emphasis from treatment to prevention.
• Public-health experts are calling for the plan to include measures such as minimum unit alcohol pricing, expanded sugar taxes and a pre-9pm junk food advertising ban to tackle an estimated £15 billion annual economic burden.