Obesity and diet-related illness in the UK

Worldwide, poor diet contributes to more disease than physical inactivity, smoking and alcohol combined. The burden of diet-related ill health in the UK is substantial, estimated to lead to 70,000 premature deaths annually, which represents around 12 per cent of the total number of deaths. Poor diet has the highest impact on the NHS budget, costing around £6 billion per year, greater than alcohol consumption, smoking and physical inactivity.