|
FAO and the World Health Organization (WHO) developed a joint
report on diet to address the increasing problem of chronic
diseases worldwide and develop a strategy to combat the problem.
The report contains scientific evidence on the relationship
of diet, nutrition and physical activity to chronic diseases
and examines cardiovascular diseases, several forms of cancer,
diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis and dental disease.
A diet low in saturated fat, sugars and salt and high in
vegetables and fruit, and regular physical activity, will
help to combat chronic disease, according to the report.
Chronic diseases are rapidly increasing. In 2001, about 59
percent of total deaths worldwide were due to chronic diseases,
which make up 46 percent of diseases globally.
Globally, the increasing intake of high-calorie, low-nutrition
foods, increasingly inactive lifestyles, and other factors
such as tobacco use, are the leading causes of the increasing
incidence of chronic disease, according to report authors.
Cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancers and obesity, which
were once associated with "rich countries," are
now facing developing countries as well. Solutions to the
increasing burden of such diseases require stronger relationships
between those involved in health and agriculture from regional
to global levels, according to the report.
The authors note that even modest, population-wide changes
in diet and physical activity can produce significant changes
to the overall burden of chronic disease in a short time period.
The report's recommendations include:
-
Fat intake should only be between 15 percent and 30 percent
of total daily energy intake, saturated fats less than
10 percent
-
Carbohydrate intake should be between 55 percent and
75 percent of daily intake
Added sugars should be less than 10 percent of daily intake
-
Daily intake of salt, which should be iodized, should
be less than 5 grams a day
-
Intake of fruit and vegetables should be at least 400
grams a day
-
Protein should account for 10 percent to 15 percent of
total daily intake
-
Moderate-intensity activity for one hour each day, for
most days of the week, is needed to maintain a healthy
body weight
WHO will be meeting with a number of major food and beverage
companies, which authors say is critical to developing a long-term
solution. In order to create an environment where healthy
choices are easy, major changes in consumer information, labeling,
trade and agricultural production and processing methods will
need to be made.
Authors noted that long-term progress will likely take time,
but could lead to a major positive shift in worldwide health.
Food
& Agriculture Organization of the United Nations April
23, 2003
| 