Longevity decided by rich/poor inequality

William S M Innes"s theory - "Blueprint at birth dictates our lifespan" (Courier, January 23) - is not borne out by the facts.

Yes, good genes help, but a bad and deprived diet at an early age can be problematic. If it continues into adulthood it can impair even the fittest body.

Yes, we all know someone who has lived to a ripe old age on a diet of junk food, fags and booze, but this is the exception not the rule.

Research published in 2005 in the British Medical Journal showed that life expectancy between the poor and more affluent parts of Britain is wider than at any time since Queen Victoria was on the throne.

Among men in 2004, for example, the gap between Glasgow, with the lowest life expectancy, and East Dorset, with the highest, rose from 10 to 11 years and among women from 7.8 to 8.4 years; a significant rise in the space of a year.

The authors of the report from Southampton University put the increase down to the widening gap between rich and poor. Wealth inequality has now increased to an unacceptable level. The poorest 10 per cent receive only three per cent of the nation"s total income; the richest 10 per cent receive over 25 per cent.

However we interpret this research, and research in East Lothian that highlights a similar life expectancy divide between North Berwick and Tranent, how we address bad diet and the extra financial burden it puts on our NHS is the mark of us as a society.

On a recent visit to Haddington, visitors from Finland gave pupils at Knox Academy lessons in healthy eating and the benefits of introducing "free" nutritious school meals.

By early intervention, Finland has instigated a turnaround in its similar high levels of obesity and deaths from heart disease to those in Scotland. Introducing nutritious school meals sets the pattern that promotes future healthy eating. Could the Finns be on the right track? This is an important question for East Lothian"s Equally Well Initiative.

These stats show that longevity will be decided not by on which side of the North Berwick/Tranent divide one is born, but rather by on which side of the wealth inequality gap one is born.

Jack Fraser

Clayknowes Drive

Musselburgh