To kick off Heart Month 2023, we partnered with MyFitnessPal for a pop-up event at Observation Point in London, with health checks for the public and striking anatomical heart made entirely of sugar on show.
Lorraine Pascale attended the event.
Did you know that the average male Brit consumes 83% more sugar than the recommended allowance each year? Too much sugar in the diet can lead to weight gain and obesity, which can increase your blood pressure and your risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). Over two million people are living with CHD in the UK and it’s one of the biggest killers.
A team from Heart Research UK were at Observation Point the whole day, checking people’s blood pressure and body composition, talking through the results and giving out nutritional advice. The team was led by Dr Helen Flaherty, Director of Health Promotion and Education and registered nutritionist.
On show were also two anatomical hearts made entirely of sugar, one weighing 10,950g which is the recommended yearly allowance, and the other one weighing 20,075g which is what the average Brit consumes.
Sarah, a woman who had her health checked by the Heart Research UK team, said she came along to the event to make sure her blood sugar was okay.
“I have been trying to exercise and get fit but it’s a lifelong battle. I started because I found out my cholesterol levels are raised.
“I’m aware that there’s a lot of hidden sugar in food, but I didn’t know that people eat so much more than what’s recommended. I try to be aware of what I eat but at the end of the day we’ve all got a sweet tooth. I just want to try and keep fit as long as possible.”
