Can health advice be trusted? An expert has sparked controversy by comparing cake in the office to passive smoking. Some support these claims. But others call her a meddling "fussbucket".
Cake is the new smoking, claims food chief
Can health advice be trusted? An expert has sparked controversy by comparing cake in the office to passive smoking. Some support these claims. But others call her a meddling "fussbucket".
<h2 class=" eplus-wrapper" id="crosshead">Sweet dreams</h2>
Not since Marie Antoinette has cake caused such a stir.1 Earlier this week Professor Susan Jebb, the chair of Britain's Food Standards AgencyA department of the British government, responsible for protecting public health on food matters. , compared bringing cake into the office to smoking inside.
The reaction was brutal. The Sun called her a "health fussbucket" and "an egg short of a Victoria sponge". Former politician Nigel Farage even told her to "shut up". Prime minister Rishi Sunak even waded in to assure people the government would not ban treats.
Jebb's remarks should be uncontroversial. Cakes are low in nutrientsSubstances that plants and animals need to live and grow. The six essential nutrients our bodies need are vitamins, minerals, protein, fats, water, and carbohydrates. and high in sugar, fuelling obesityThe medical condition of being very overweight. There are many ways of measuring this, including a BMI of 30 or more. (You can work out your BMI by dividing your weight in kilograms by your height in metres squared.). And doctors link obesity to health problems such as diabetesA medical condition causing there to be too much sugar in the blood. and heart disease.
Yet some people are unsure whether to trust health guidance. In the past, it has often been awful.
In the 19th Century, Austrians put arsenicA chemical element which is very poisonous. in their coffee. Victorian women ate tapeworm eggs.
Smoking is now linked to numerous appalling diseases. Many countries have made cigarettes expensive and banned smoking in public spaces.2 Yet in the 1930s and 40s doctors actually recommended smoking as a way to soothe sore throats.
Some say we should get over past mistakes. Heath advice should become better and better. As Psychology Today's Temma Ehrenfeld says: "Think of nutritionThe process of taking food into the body that you need to live and grow. as like a detective story, with twists and turns. Over time, scientists are developing a better understanding of how food affects us."
Others are less generous. Advice can even try to trick us. In 2015, professor Marion Nestle found 168 health reports funded by food and drink companies. As many as 156 of these showed bias toward their funder.3
Yes: Health advice is science. And science is always evolving. There will of course be mistakes here and there. But it comes from a sound basis and good intentions, and gets things right more than not.
No: Advice is seldom perfect or without an ulterior motiveIntentionally hiding your real reasons for doing something. . Even if we choose to follow a recommendation, we should always be aware that it might turn out wrong, whatever its source.
Or... Cake may well be bad for us. But people have eaten cake for centuries and lived full lives. The true issue is not whether health advice should be trusted, but the extent to which we should follow it.
Food Standards Agency - A department of the British government, responsible for protecting public health on food matters.
Nutrients - Substances that plants and animals need to live and grow. The six essential nutrients our bodies need are vitamins, minerals, protein, fats, water, and carbohydrates.
Obesity - The medical condition of being very overweight. There are many ways of measuring this, including a BMI of 30 or more. (You can work out your BMI by dividing your weight in kilograms by your height in metres squared.)
Diabetes - A medical condition causing there to be too much sugar in the blood.
Arsenic - A chemical element which is very poisonous.
Nutrition - The process of taking food into the body that you need to live and grow.
Ulterior motive - Intentionally hiding your real reasons for doing something.
<h5 class=" eplus-wrapper" id="question"><strong>Can health advice be trusted? </strong></h5>
Cake is the new smoking, claims food chief

Glossary
Food Standards Agency - A department of the British government, responsible for protecting public health on food matters.
Nutrients - Substances that plants and animals need to live and grow. The six essential nutrients our bodies need are vitamins, minerals, protein, fats, water, and carbohydrates.
Obesity - The medical condition of being very overweight. There are many ways of measuring this, including a BMI of 30 or more. (You can work out your BMI by dividing your weight in kilograms by your height in metres squared.)
Diabetes - A medical condition causing there to be too much sugar in the blood.
Arsenic - A chemical element which is very poisonous.
Nutrition - The process of taking food into the body that you need to live and grow.
Ulterior motive - Intentionally hiding your real reasons for doing something.