Poor diet and alcohol blight nation's health

SCOTLAND'S chief medical officer has warned the country's obesity, poor diet and excessive drinking are continuing to cause unacceptable levels of ill health.

Sir Harry Burns said Scots still had worse health problems than most of their European neighbours, despite a drop in deaths from the country's three biggest killers – cancer, heart disease and stroke.

In his sixth annual report on the nation's health, Dr Burns said action to improve health was proving effective in some areas, such as smoking-related illnesses which fell 7% among 16 to 65-year-olds between 1995 and 2010. However, he said the nation still faced challenges in tackling poor diet and alcohol consumption.

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