Edinburgh named takeaway capital of Scotland as poll singles out ‘toxic cities’

Published on 03/01/2013 12:00

EDINBURGH may be Scotland’s capital city, but it has also emerged as the country’s undisputed fast-food takeaway capital.

A new survey has identified Edinburgh as the third most “toxic city” where the population is bombarded the most by the sights, smells and lure of high calorie treats which encourage overindulgence.

There is an astonishing one takeaway for every 725 people and that puts even Glasgow in the shade, as it can only boast one outlet for every 923 people. Only Manchester and Bristol come off worse.

Earlier this week, the Evening News revealed that burger chain McDonald’s is planning to open its city outlets around the clock.

The latest study, which list the top 20 “toxic cities” in the UK, whose high streets are fraught with danger for those battling to control their weight, has been compiled to highlight new research from Weight Watchers which shows just how much our surroundings are fuelling the obesity crisis.

The world’s leading slimming organisation labels the ready availability of food through the increased popularity of coffee shop culture and fast food chains, with supermarkets and even newsagents, promoting sweets at payment counters, as “food porn” and claim it has created the perfect storm for obesity to flourish.

Weight Watchers says the prevalence of high sugar, high fat, highly desirable food wherever you turn has desensitised us to the point where we often no longer realise what is a correct portion size, or that we are snacking constantly. In addition scientists have now identified a process in the human brain called Hedonic Hunger, meaning it’s not only our surroundings affecting our food choices. We now know that sensory exposure to highly palatable foods creates a physical “urge to eat” – regardless of whether you’ve just eaten – encouraging us to give way to temptation.