‘No drug as beneficial as a 30-minute daily walk’
NO DRUG can provide as much benefit as a daily walk, Health & Social Care’s prescribing adviser said, after the amount of drugs prescribed locally last year rose by nearly 3%.
Geraldine O’Riordan said the prescribing team’s biggest concern was the increase in the number of drugs prescribed for diabetes and cardiovascular conditions.
The unit’s annual report showed that diabetic prescriptions alone saw a significant rise, with costs increasing by 13.6% to more than £1.4m., and this was linked to the rate of diabetes increasing in the community.
Another concern was the rise in the gastrointestinal drugs prescribed for dyspepsia – indigestion.
In 2018 £125,000 was spent on these drugs. Last year this rose to £578,000.
‘We’re concerned that they may be taken as a result of poor lifestyle choices,’ said Ms O’Riordan, 'things like over-eating and over-drinking. It’s a very quick fix to take one of those capsules.’
Doing more exercise could prevent many conditions arising, however.
‘The evidence for exercise is outstanding,’ she said.
‘No drug has ever been invented that confers as much benefit as a 30-minute walk per day.’
Poor lifestyle can also be responsible for the increase in diabetes, she said, citing the link between a high body mass index and the consumption of high calorie foods. This has led to a lot of people under pension age becoming diabetic.
While genetics can play a part in a BMI increase, she said a major reason was eating high calorie foods prepared outside the home.
‘Highly processed foods are incredibly energy dense, and they’re very, very calorific. Consuming a lot of these regularly shoots up your BMI.
‘As we get older, we need to manage risk factors like blood pressure, cholesterol and, of course, your BMI.
'It’s absolutely imperative.
‘We know that there’s a very strong link between high BMI and other lifestyle choices and cancers, and 40% of cancers we could prevent by making better lifestyle choices.’
There was also evidence of a link between very high body weight and the prevalence of dementia, as well as osteoporosis, she said.
‘Getting on top of these risk factors in your middle years is highly likely to reduce your risk of getting all of these diseases,’ said Ms O’Riordan.
