[LifeStyle] Unhealthy Eating Habits, Leading the World's Diets

[#Steeven.™]

Consumption of unhealthy foods, such as processed meats and sugary drinks, has overtaken the consumption of healthy products, such as fruits and vegetables, in the last two decades in most parts of the world, according to a report published today (February 19, 2015) by the British journal The Lancet Global Health.

An international team of researchers, led by Fumiaki Imamura, of the University of Cambridge (UK), conducted a study to assess the quality of the diet in 187 countries, with a po[CENSORED]tion of almost 4.5 billion adults.

The authors of the research warn that the study presents a "worrying outlook" due to the increase in unhealthy eating habits and assure that a joint action is necessary to reverse this trend.

People living in some of the richest regions of the world, such as the United States, Canada, and Australia, follow the poorest-quality diets due to their high consumption of unhealthy foods.

Even so, the study reveals that, between the years 1990 and 2010, the quality of the diet has improved somewhat in the richest countries, with a modest reduction in the consumption of unhealthy foods and an increase in the consumption of healthy products.

In contrast, some countries in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, such as China and India, have not shown any improvement in the quality of their diet in the last twenty years.

The group of researchers analyzed data on the consumption of 17 foods and key nutrients that are linked to obesity and the main non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, as well as changes in people's diets during those Two decades.

The study notes that low-wealth countries such as Mali, as well as Mediterranean regions such as Turkey and Greece, consume more healthy foods, "possibly reflecting favorable aspects of the Mediterranean diet," the report stresses.

In contrast, some countries in central Europe and the republics of the former Soviet Union, such as Uzbekistan or Turkmenistan, consume less healthy food.

The study showed that, in general, older people and women follow better diets, with healthier foods. "By 2020, projections indicate that non-communicable diseases will account for 75% of all deaths. So improving diet plays a crucial role in reducing this percentage," Imamura says in The Lancet Global Health.

Furthermore, he added, "The results of this study have implications for governments and international organizations around the world. These trends indicate the need to understand different causes that lead to this situation, such as the practices of the agricultural and food industry, as well as health policy ".

According to the study authors, political action "is essential" to help people achieve an optimal diet, control the obesity epidemic and reduce non-communicable diseases around the world.