World Digestive Health Day WDHD – May 29, 2016 GREAT SIGNIFICANCE OF LATEST PAN AMERICAN HEALTH ORGANIZATION NUTRIENT PROFILE MODEL TO PREVENT GROWING OBESITY INCIDENCE, continued ing. In fact, all these features may explain why handmade meal preparations are being replaced by “processed” and “ultra-processed” food. Consequently, many traditional culinary customs are gradually extinguishing. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) met recently to find new resources to tackle the concerning health consequences of this nutritional transition on the American population. The PAHO Nutrient Profile Model was formulated to cover all countries in the American region. It aims to involve all governments in making crucial decisions to create environments conducive to healthy eating. Some of its most remarkable strategies include: • Preventing unhealthy food consumption. • Quantifying and controlling “critical nutrients” present in processed food, including: salt, sugar, trans fats, and saturated fats. • Warning about “critical nutrients” contained in food products by adding an information label on the front side of packaging. • Establishing specific guidelines for food and beverage consumption in schools. • Restricting marketing of unhealthy food and beverages among children. • Applying tax policies to limit unhealthy food consumption. • Avoiding sweeteners in children’s food and beverages, since repetitive sweet flavor (regardless of calories) stimulates and defines consumer habits. These guides claim that implementing new nutritional programs, saving food health benefits, and combating “ultraprocessed” food’s harmful effects is urgent for public health. The PAHO requires countries to inform consumers about certain “critical nutrients” hidden in packaging and to restrict confusing messages behind food publicity. They focus as well on encouraging people to cook and prepare their own fresh dishes, in an attempt to reinforce traditional flavors and help regional customs reappear and survive among nutritional globalization. In the Americas, sweetened beverage consumption increased 33% between 2000 and 2013. During this period, snacks consumption also increased 56%. These are only two examples in a huge field of investigations that show certain predominance of “ultra-processed” food over “minimally processed” or “in natura” foods. Dietary energy input provided by “ultraprocessed” food has flagrantly accelerated during recent Figure 1. decades. In 1987, energy input provided by “ultra-processed” food in Brazil was 19%; this had reached 32% by 2008. Moreover, in 1938, energy input provided by “ultra-processed” food in Canada was 24%; by 2001 this had increased to 55%. Figure (1) shows the evolution of “ultra-processed” food sales from 1999 to 2013 in 12 countries from Latin America. This study was conducted by the PAHO in order to estimate “ultraprocessed” food consumption trends through over the last few years. Results showed that “ultra-processed” food sales continuously grew in all countries, with marked elevations in Uruguay (+145%), Peru (+121%), and Bolivia (+151%). Thereafter, these consumption trends were analyzed against obesity growing rates in those countries and significant statistical association was found. When epidemiological data is put together, the human metabolic dialogue between diet and obesity is clearly understood. Then, taking decisions to fight this problem becomes essential. Health and education workers, media outlets, and governments can join efforts to improve the public’s nutritional status. The PAHO Nutrient Profile Model attempts to serve as a roadmap in this complex context. BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Scrinis G. Nutritionism: The Science and Politics of Dietary Advice. New York, NY: Columbia University Press, 2013. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2014.02.017. World Digestive Health Day WDHD May 29, 2016 WGO Handbook on DIET AND THE GUT 55
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