Health survey

Last updated: 17 Mar 2006

Is the UK facing a health crisis? Find out how to improve your diet

For the first time the true picture of the UK's poor health has been revealed in Britain's largest-ever health and diet survey - with shocking results.

'Optimum Nutrition UK' questioned 37,000 people and found that only 6% were in optimal health with minimal symptoms of negative health. Conversely, 44% were in poor health, often excessively tired, stressed and burned out.

The survey results:

80% of people reported low energy
82% of people became quickly impatient when held up and 62% became tense and anxious
64% of women report suffering from PMS/PMT
46% report suffering from depression
81% of people fail to have a bowel movement every day
64% suffer from abdominal bloating
54% report dark circles or bags under their eyes
46% suffer from headaches and migraine
50% have more than two colds or flu a year
40% of people find it hard to shift an infection

The results demonstrate that staple food and drinks in the UK diet including wheat, diary, refined sugar, tea and coffee and red meats appear to have negative associations with health.

The beneficial effects of the 'positive' foods including fruit, vegetables and fresh water are significantly outweighed by the adverse effects of the 'negative' foods.

While it is estimated that the current healthcare costs of directly diet-related diseases is in the order of £13.5 billion, the true cost of the nation’s current eating and drinking habits is likely to be far higher.

5 steps to a healthier diet:

There is a huge amount of nutrition and diet advice out there which can be intimidating, but try taking these 5 simple steps to improving your general health - and see your energy levels increase.