World needs to eat better
When people’s diets are bad, health systems pay the price in the form of increased treatments for noncommunicable diseases
The food that people eat has become a major risk factor for disability and death worldwide. Yet, countries and their philanthropic supporters seem not to be paying attention. They’re investing far too little in improving diets and preventing nutrition-related disease. The problem is part of a larger trend in human mortality. Until recently, in many low- and middle-income countries, malaria, diarrhoea and other infectious diseases were the biggest killers. While such illnesses are far from being eradicated, non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer have become more widespread, and now account for two out of every three deaths globally. Seventy-five per cent of these deaths occur in low and middle-income countries.
Why has this happened? Lifestyles have changed and, with them, diets. The world’s growing population is more urban and global, and many countries, though not all, are improving economically.
Over the past few decades, there’s been an exponential increase in the number of people who are overweight or obese, and thus more vulnerable to noncommunicable diseases. A staggering two billion people are now overweight or obese, including 41 million children under the age of five. To make matters worse, two-thirds of those children reside in low- and middle-income countries.
In certain ways, to be sure, people are eating better. Consumption of fruits, vegetables and nuts has increased in some regions of the world. But there has also been a marked shift toward the unhealthy. Ever more popular “western” diets are heavy on foods high in sugar, unhealthy fats and sodium; salted or cured meats; and overly processed junk food — accompanied by sugar-sweetened beverages. Such diets tend to include few of the most healthful foods: Fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, lean meats, seafood rich in omega three fatty acids, legumes and fibrous whole grains.
When people’s diets are bad, health systems pay the price in the form of increased treatments for noncommunicable diseases. From 2010 to 2025, this economic burden is expected to add up to $7 trillion (Dh25.74 trillion), with most of the money going to cardiovascular disease.
To begin to lighten this burden, countries need to start to shift lifestyles and strengthen food systems. They can employ proven strategies to persuade their citizens to eat better, reduce alcohol and tobacco use, and increase physical activity. For example, in Chile, front-of-the-package labels let consumers know which foods contain a lot of fat, sugar or salt, and such foods cannot be sold in schools or advertised on television to children under the age of 14.
Governments need to strengthen connections between food systems and health systems, including by formulating healthy food policies. For example, the Greater Philadelphia Region is planning food-system investments aimed at improving food security and combating obesity.
Governments and private donors need to increase their investments in both health and agriculture sectors, and work together to lower the risk of diet-related illness and death. ■ Jessica Fanzo is a Bloomberg distinguished professor of global food and agricultural policy and ethics at the Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, the Berman Institute of Bioethics and the Department of International Health of the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University.
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