Heart disease
Soft drink makers back product reformulation as ‘healthier’ than taxation
Governments can steer consumers towards healthier choices by supporting the reformulation of food ingredients, rather than imposing "discriminatory" taxes, according to the soft drinks industry.
Tobacco makers denounce ‘brand theft’ from plain packaging
The trend towards imposing plain packaging on tobacco products has made industry executives furious and denounce “Brussels-led overregulation” that effectively leads to "brand theft".
Retailers fear tobacco-style restrictions on food and drinks
Governments across Europe have applied ever-more restrictive measures to the sale of food and drinks as a way of fighting obesity – a regulatory proliferation that is making retailers worried about new barriers to the EU’s single market.
Weighing the tradeoffs of joy versus long term health
Consumers make hundreds of choices every day, some of which imply weighing the tradeoffs of joy versus long term health. These are highly subjective decisions, and in a free society adult consumers should have the right to make these choices and not have them dictated to them by public health tsars, writes Fred Roeder.
Regulating consumers?
Over the years, sales and marketing restrictions have piled up on food, drinks and alcohol products. Some are now beginning to worry about a “slippery slope” where tobacco-style regulations – and taxation – are being applied to a whole range of consumer products in the name of public health objectives.
Consumer group wants to kill cartoons on ‘unhealthy’ food for children
The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) urged food companies on Wednesday (14 June) to stop using cartoon characters to promote unhealthy foods for children, saying they negatively affect their dietary behaviour.
Study: Biking to work lowers risks of cancer and heart disease
Riding a bicycle to work reduces the risk of heart disease and cancer, according to a new UK study carried out by Glasgow researchers.
A healthy environment means healthy citizens and a more vibrant EU
Europeans have some of the highest rates of anxiety, depression and other non-infectious diseases in the world. Today, on World Health Day, nature is an overlooked remedy, argues Magda Stoczkiewicz.
Five countries face fines after breaking EU pollution laws
The European Commission threatened legal action against France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK after they failed to protect their citizens’ health against dangerous levels of air pollution.
Families cannot tackle childhood obesity alone, EU study says
The family environment is not able to overcome childhood obesity without governmental support, a new report has found.
Poverty and tobacco carry similar health risks, study finds
People on the bottom rung of the socioeconomic ladder may live two years less on average than those at the top, according to a large-scale study published Wednesday (31 January) in the British journal The Lancet.
Personalised medicine – the future of CVD treatment?
Doctors are already able to calculate patients’ risk of getting cardiovascular disease based on their electronic medical records, including age, gender and smoking habits. Adding genetic assessments to the mix will make their job easier.
A soft target: EU countries go after sugar in CVD fight
If the UK is a leader among European countries in statin treatment and cardiac rehabilitation, it lags behind in addressing the behavioural causes of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), such as child obesity.
UK and US at odds with Europe over statin use
Statins are already the United Kingdom’s most commonly prescribed medicines – roughly 6 million Brits take the drugs on a regular basis to lower the risk of a cardiovascular incident, in line with US practice. But in continental Europe, views tend to differ.
Prevention is the name of the CVD game
Early prevention is the name of the game these days for the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) when it comes to tackling cardiovascular disease (CVD).
Cardiovascular health in the UK
Although death rates have fallen substantially, cardiovascular disease remains the single biggest killer in the UK and Europe, as well as a sizeable economic burden. EURACTIV looks at the many facets of cardiovascular disease.
Counting the cost of cardiovascular disease
Death from cardiovascular diseases (CVD) may have fallen substantially in the UK and across the world, but it remains the single biggest killer, and a sizeable economic burden.
E-health should not exacerbate existing inequalities, NGO warns
Efforts to digitalise healthcare for chronic disease patients – including those suffering from diabetes – are helpful, according to the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA). But the move towards digitalisation should not exacerbate existing health inequalities, it warns.
Study: Carbon tax on food could cut GHG missions by 9%
A food tax based on a product's carbon footprint would bring benefits not only for the climate, but also for public health, according to a British study published on Monday (7 November). EURACTIV's partner Journal de l'Environnement reports.
Malta tops EU obesity rankings, Romania thinnest
Malta has the highest proportion of obese adults in Europe, according to EU figures released yesterday (20 October), while Romania is the least obese.
The EU’s promotion of meat consumption is misguided, Mr Hogan
Ever since he took office, Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan has promoted the interests of the livestock sector while ignoring health warnings and environmental concerns over meat consumption, writes Olga Kikou.
Air pollution now major contributor to stroke, global study finds
Air pollution has become a major contributor to stroke for the first time, with unclean air now blamed for nearly one third of the years of healthy life lost to the condition worldwide.
Andriukaitis: We have the tools to avoid ‘unnecessary loss of lives’
Decision-makers should stop ignoring risk factors like tobacco, which causes deaths that could have been avoided, Health Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis told EURACTIV.com.
Loneliness can cause heart disease and strokes, says study
Loneliness increases the risk of developing heart disease and suffering strokes, new research has found.