Why is heart disease still the biggest killer in the UK, despite the fact that we know it’s main causes? Here’s one reason; the British Heart Foundation list risk factors such as weight, cholesterol, high blood pressure but it seems they aren’t putting a penny of their £185 million that they raise through donations every year in to telling people that. In fact, they’re doing the opposite!

Third Sector magazine reports this week…

Congratulations to the 27,000 cyclists who completed the 54-mile London to Brighton bike ride fundraiser for the British Heart Foundation this month. But surprisingly the official refreshment stops lining the route were filled with burger vans. What next - organised fag breaks?

And a quick look at some of the participants who raised funds for BHF through JustGiving also shows that the message simply isn’t getting through (or is even being given at all). One participant, a smoker, reports how he’s been “eating lots of burgers for extra protein” and aims to “raise £125 for the British Heart Foundation (an investment in my future)”. Another participant gave a recount of how the event went, saying they had “a well deserved burger and chips on the beach before the coach ride back to London”.

Perhaps this is why BHF is one of the biggest charities in the UK. It seems their work is all about finding ways to allow people to continue with their unhealthy lifestyles by developing medication and surgical procedures rather than preventing the disease in the first place.

Hidden away on the BHF website is a report in which one of their senior dieticians says “we do know that meat is one of the main sources of saturated fat in the UK diet. A diet high in saturated fat is linked to raised blood cholesterol levels, a risk factor for heart disease”. So why on earth are they encouraging people to eat fatty burgers?