The UK has some notoriously bad eating practices. What in the US and nutrition dialogue is called the Standard American Diet - SAD - in the UK would be called the Standard UK Diet - SUKD. Both acronyms are telling. Understanding the latest UK research, shifting diets toward longevity, could provide some valuable lessons not only for us in Singapore but also for the rest of the world.
Despite both the UK and US having well established dietary recommendations very few people have actually followed them over the last decades. Most people have enjoyed increasing amounts of processed foods, rich in refined carbohydrates and oils, rather than the whole food recommendations. In the UK less than 0.1% of people now meet the criteria for eating a healthy diet – as described by the National Health Service’s Eatwell Guide.
Unfortunately, the UK and the US are not the only countries where people are not following the guidelines, poor eating practices in developed societies – including Singapore - are a well-established phenomenon. And one repeated by developing societies as they move away from whole food predominant diets to those high in processed foods.
As ever, please talk to your doctor or medical practitioner most familiar with your medical history before implementing any changes in diet, exercise or lifestyle, especially if you are under treatment. Links to supporting studies and resources are shared at the end of page.
A 2023 UK study (Fadnes, et al) estimated how changes in food choices can affect life expectancy, taking into account the connection between diet and mortality, as well as the time it takes for changes to have an impact.
According to the findings, the predicted increase in life expectancy is smaller when dietary changes are made later in life, but the benefits are still significant. For instance, individuals aged 70 may gain about half the life expectancy benefit seen in 40-year-olds, which translates to an additional 1.5 years with moderate dietary improvements, and 4 to 5 years for those switching from very unhealthy diets. Currently, life expectancy in the UK is 83.6 years for women and 79.9 years for men. A 40-year-old could see a 3-year life expectancy increase by adopting longevity-focused eating habits.
Reducing consumption of sugary drinks and processed meats, while increasing intake of whole grains and nuts, is predicted to have the greatest positive impact on life expectancy.
The study also considered the effects of body mass index (BMI) and energy consumption, which may influence the benefits of eating more whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, and consuming less red meat and eggs.
These findings align with other research on diet and mortality, which consistently shows the greatest benefits from foods like nuts, legumes, and whole grains, and the worst outcomes from sugary drinks and red meat.
Following the UK’s Eatwell Guide is shown to provide most of the life expectancy gains linked to more advanced longevity diets, making it a practical goal for dietary change. While older adults see smaller improvements, even those starting at age 70 can still expect significant benefits, with gains of around 1.5 to 5 years, depending on the diet change.
Overall, the study highlights the importance of increasing whole grains and nuts, and cutting back on sugary drinks and processed meats, as key targets for both public health policy and clinical advice.
"Expected life years gained from dietary changes.
Expected life years gained after changing from unhealthy median dietary patterns (red), changing from median dietary patterns to the Eatwell Guide (blue) and changing from the Eatwell Guide to longevity-associated dietary patterns (green) for 40-year-old female and male adults (F40 and M40, respectively) and 70-year-old female and male adults (F70 and M70, respectively) from the United Kingdom. Both core-adjusted models (adjusted for age, sex, socio-demographic area, smoking, alcohol consumption and activity level) and mediation models (adjusted for energy and body mass index (BMI plus E)) are presented."
Final Thoughts
The UK has its own eating practices and this study mainly looked at a white population. Notwithstanding, most populations eating in a similar way will likely face similar issues. When it comes to Asian populations, such as in multi-ethnic Singapore, we know that differences in BMI exacerbate chronic illnesses such as type 2 diabetes and hypertension.
If you want to live long, be mindful of what you eat. Focus on whole foods, a plant forward diet in keeping with traditional Asian eating practices. If you want to maximise health and ultimately your healthspan, exercise is essential: strength and cardio. Sleep well and minimise stress. This is whole health living.
For most people, improving sleep, health, is about finding motivation and prioritising self-care with an ultimate goal of taking action. If you want to take effective and targeted steps that fit into your unique lifestyle, The Whole Health Practice is here to help.
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Stay Healthy,
Alastair
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The UK Study
Fadnes LT, Celis-Morales C, Økland JM, Parra-Soto S, Livingstone KM, Ho FK, Pell JP, Balakrishna R, Javadi Arjmand E, Johansson KA, Haaland ØA, Mathers JC. Life expectancy can increase by up to 10 years following sustained shifts towards healthier diets in the United Kingdom. Nat Food. 2023 Nov;4(11):961-965. doi: 10.1038/s43016-023-00868-w. Epub 2023 Nov 20. PMID: 37985698; PMCID: PMC10661734.
The National Health Service's Eatwell Guide
Related Studies
Ribeiro RV, Senior AM, Simpson SJ, Tan J, Raubenheimer D, Le Couteur D, Macia L, Holmes A, Eberhard J, O'Sullivan J, Koay YC, Kanjrawi A, Yang J, Kim T, Gosby A. Rapid benefits in older age from transition to whole food diet regardless of protein source or fat to carbohydrate ratio: Arandomised control trial. Aging Cell. 2024 Jul 16:e14276. doi: 10.1111/acel.14276. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39011855.
Cordova R, Viallon V, Fontvieille E, Peruchet-Noray L, Jansana A, Wagner KH, Kyrø C, Tjønneland A, Katzke V, Bajracharya R, Schulze MB, Masala G, Sieri S, Panico S, Ricceri F, Tumino R, Boer JMA, Verschuren WMM, van der Schouw YT, Jakszyn P, Redondo-Sánchez D, Amiano P, Huerta JM, Guevara M, Borné Y, Sonestedt E, Tsilidis KK, Millett C, Heath AK, Aglago EK, Aune D, Gunter MJ, Ferrari P, Huybrechts I, Freisling H. Consumption of ultra-processed foods and risk of multimorbidity of cancer and cardiometabolic diseases: a multinational cohort study. Lancet Reg Health Eur. 2023 Nov 14;35:100771. doi: 10.1016/j.lanepe.2023.100771. PMID: 38115963; PMCID: PMC10730313.
Tay ME, Foster E, Stevenson L, Brownlee I. The Adherence of Singaporean Students in Different Educational Institutions to National Food-Based Dietary Guidelines. Nutrients. 2020 Sep 30;12(10):2995. doi: 10.3390/nu12102995. PMID: 33007838; PMCID: PMC7601534.
Scheelbeek P, Green R, Papier K, Knuppel A, Alae-Carew C, Balkwill A, Key TJ, Beral V, Dangour AD. Health impacts and environmental footprints of diets that meet the Eatwell Guide recommendations: analyses of multiple UK studies. BMJ Open. 2020 Aug 26;10(8):e037554. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-037554. PMID: 32847945; PMCID: PMC7451532.
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Health and Medicine Division; Food and Nutrition Board; Committee to Review the Process to Update the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Redesigning the Process for Establishing the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2017 Nov 16. 2, Role and Purposes of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans: Evaluation and Findings.
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