Food and exercise fads and the rise of unqualified ‘experts' are all having a big impact on the health of the nation, a seminar has heard.

The 9th Annual Seminar of the Nutrition and Health Foundation (NHF) was attended by national and international experts, who focused on the theme of ‘Food and Fitness - Fact versus Fiction'.

According to Dr Muireann Cullen of the NHF, it is well acknowledged that obesity is one of the most serious health issues facing society today. However consumers are being ‘bombarded' with information on food and fitness and ‘not all of this information is valid or accurate'.

This, she insisted, is only intensifying the problem of obesity.

This was echoed by dietitian, Sarah Keogh, who expressed concern about the growing number of unqualified ‘experts' in this area.

"Nutrition is almost unique in that people with little or no training are influencing people's nutrition choices and impacting on their health. Sometimes this is positive, but it can also have negative effects. Consumers need the best advice and not just information on the latest craze," she commented.

The experts insisted that people should not follow the latest craze or fad, or make any significant changes to their diet or exercise programme, without proper investigation first.

For example, while red meat consumption has been discouraged by some, Prof Robert Pickard, former director general of the British Nutrition Foundation, said that red meat can be included in a healthy Irish diet.

"Human beings thrive best on a balanced diet where they eat a little bit of everything and not too much of any one thing. Lean, red meat is the most satiating food and helps to curb appetite. It is also the richest source of vitamins and minerals in the diet. Cows, sheep and pigs share 80% of their genes with humans, so most of the molecules that they make are needed by humans," he explained.

Meanwhile, the seminar also heard from exercise expert, Dr Brendan Egan, of Dublin City University, who emphasised that ‘when it comes to healthy ageing, all paths to good health include exercise and physical activity in some form'.

"Accumulating activity throughout the day is critical. Too much time spent sitting is a real threat to healthy ageing," he added.

The seminar took place in Dublin and was chaired by Dr Pamela Byrne, chief executive of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland.

For more information on the NHF, click here