Change in our diets could save thousands of lives

New guidance issued by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) suggests small dietary changes, such as reducing salt and saturated fats, would dramatically decrease the number of lives lost to cardiovascular disease – a "largely avoidable" condition.

And it said small changes made across the country could translate into massive improvements in public health, saving millions of pounds each year.

The organisation has set out a series of measures designed to make it easier for people to live a healthier lifestyle.

Experts today called on the food industry to ensure levels of salt and saturated fats are reduced across the board to cut the "huge numbers of unnecessary deaths".

And they said trans fats, which have been shown to increase the risk of heart disease and are classified as toxic by the World Health Organisation, should be eliminated from food altogether.

Professor Mike Kelly, public health director at Nice, said the guidance aimed to reduce the "terrible toll of ill health".

"This isn't about telling individuals to choose salad instead of chips – it's about making sure that the chips we all enjoy occasionally are as healthy as possible," he said.

"That means making further reductions in the salt, trans fats and saturated fats in the food we eat every day."

Nearly six million people in the UK are currently living with the devastating and disabling effects of cardiovascular disease, putting "substantial" strain on the NHS. Some 40,000 people are killed by the condition each year.

But experts said reducing saturated fats and removing trans fats from the diet could save more than 20,000 lives.

Meanwhile, reducing daily salt intake by 3g to a maximum level of 6g per day for adults by 2015 would result in 15,000-20,000 fewer deaths from heart disease and stroke, they said.

The recommendations put forward include: ensuring foods low in salt and saturated fat are sold more cheaply; establishing the "traffic light" food labelling system as the national standard; and tighter regulation of the way food is marketed to children.