Junk food diets are blamed for the rising number of patients hospitalized due to vitamin deficiency

Cheap junk food diets are causing a ‘very worrying’ spike in the number of people being admitted to hospital due to vitamin deficiency, doctors have warned.

Last year alone, hundreds of thousands of people in England have been treated in wards for health problems related to a lack of essential nutrients.

Health chiefs say the reliance on convenient and filling fast food has led to a tenfold increase in the number of people requiring hospital care due to a lack of nutrition in their daily diets.

NHS figures show a dramatic rise in the number of people with a primary diagnosis of anemia – caused by a lack of iron – and vitamin B deficiencies.

Symptoms of iron deficiency include being very pale, irritability, fatigue, increased heart rate, sore or swollen tongue and an enlarged spleen. The condition can cause heart failure if left untreated.

In 2023/24 there were 804,936 courses of NHS treatment involving people with iron deficiency anemia, compared to 721,650 the year before.

The Royal College of GPs (RCGP) said the findings are ‘deeply concerning’ and highlight how a nutritious diet is becoming ‘increasingly unaffordable’ for some.

Professor Kamila Hawthorne, chair of the RCGP, said: ‘It is deeply concerning that cases of nutritional anemia serious enough to warrant hospital admission have seen such a substantial increase over the past 25 years.

In the year 2023/24 there were 191,927 hospital admissions in England, with the main reason being a lack of iron, an increase of 11 percent on the 173,227 the previous year (stock photo)

‘The almost tenfold increase in admissions for patients diagnosed with iron deficiency and a fourfold increase in folate deficiencies – mainly caused by a lack of nutrition in the diet – is particularly worrying.

‘Although it is treatable with supplements or dietary changes, it carries the risk of complications. In children, iron deficiency can be detrimental to development and has been linked to poorer performance in school.”

In the year 2023/2024, there were 191,927 hospital admissions in England, with the main reason being a lack of iron, an increase of 11 per cent on the 173,227 the previous year.

The 2023/24 figure is also almost ten times higher than the 20,396 hospital admissions for iron deficiency in 1998/99.

Meanwhile, for vitamin B deficiency (excluding folic acid, which is used as a nutritional supplement in manufactured foods), there were 2,630 admissions in 2023/2024, with this being the main reason, up 15 percent from 2,236 in 2022/2024. 2023 and more than triple the 833 in 1998/1999.

Anemia due to vitamin B12 or folic acid deficiency led to 3,490 hospital admissions in 2023/24, similar to the previous year but a fourfold increase from 836 in 1998/99.

When we look at patients who have been admitted for whatever reason but are also recorded as having a vitamin deficiency, the figures are even higher overall.

There were also 38,140 courses of treatment involving people with vitamin B12 deficiency anemia, up from 35,983 the year before, in addition to 227,097 for other vitamin B deficiencies, up from 201,320.

Professor Hawthorne said the link between overall health and diet is ‘well established’ and that a ‘poor diet can increase a patient’s risk of developing certain health problems, while also making existing conditions worse’.

Symptoms of vitamin B deficiency can vary but include fatigue, muscle problems, shortness of breath, headaches, pale skin, vision problems and heart palpitations.

The data also showed that 486 treatment courses involved people with vitamin C deficiency, compared to 338 the previous year, while 773 treatments involved calcium deficiency, compared to 758.

Professor Hawthorne said the link between overall health and diet is ‘well established’ and that a ‘poor diet can increase a patient’s risk of developing certain health problems, while also making existing conditions worse’.

She added: ‘We have seen the price of fresh, healthier food rise in recent years, making a nutritious diet increasingly unaffordable for some, while ‘fast food’ is cheap, filling and easily accessible, but has little nutritious content. .

‘GPs are on the frontlines of this public health crisis, caring for patients who are suffering the health consequences of increasing hardship.

‘A recent survey of our members found that 74% of GPs have seen an increase in the number of poverty-related presentations over the past year.

‘It is unacceptable that a developed country like Britain is seeing an increase in the number of conditions linked to poverty and poor nutrition, and yet this is the reality.’

Good sources of dietary iron include red meat, kidney beans, edamame beans and chickpeas, nuts, breakfast cereals with added vitamins and dried fruit such as dried apricots.

Good sources of dietary iron include red meat, kidney beans, edamame beans and chickpeas, nuts, breakfast cereals with added vitamins and dried fruit such as dried apricots.

B vitamins and folic acid are found in broccoli, Brussels sprouts, leafy greens such as cabbage, kale, spring greens and spinach, and chickpeas and kidney beans.

Good sources of vitamin B12 include meat, fish, milk, cheese and eggs.

Professor Hawthorne said the Government must commit to a prevention-based approach to healthcare, which will not only improve people’s quality of life ‘but ultimately reduce pressure on the healthcare system’.

A government spokesperson said: ‘Lord Darzi’s report has exposed the poor health of our nation, which is putting pressure on our NHS services.

‘Our 10-year health plan will shift the focus of healthcare from disease to prevention and will include measures to ensure people have access to a healthy and balanced diet.

‘Through the Plan for Change, we will lay the foundations of the country so that everyone can live healthier lives for longer.’