Gout and health policy

Gout, the disease associated with 18th-century kings, brought on by indulging in rich foods is making a comeback according to this article. This is another one of those indications that life is good, and many more people than in the past have the ability to indulge. Insurers know the reality of the impact of lifestyle factors on health: diet, smoking, exercise levels, and so on show up in rates of heart disease, stroke, and cancer. I have been a fan of talking about them as if they are all individually controllable. A few weeks on holiday has challenged that point of view somewhat: sometimes circumstances make it harder to eat well. Sure, I can walk a bit further, hunt for different shops, spend more time preparing food rather than buying convenience food on the run. But all those increase the effort required by each consumer - and if we want more people to choose healthier lives we may have to see what we can do to make it easier to make healthy choices.