Junk food is the cause of more and more diseases and a higher death rate than tobacco, alcohol, drugs and unprotected sex, according to the conclusions of a report by the Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition. If 800 million people would be affected by undernutrition, experts warn health authorities about the dangers of “junk food”, responsible for diseases such as diabetes,arterial hypertension, child malnutrition, hyperglycemia, overweight, cholesterol and theobesity.
The analysis shows that, if current trends continue, by 2030 almost half of the world’s adult population will be overweight or obese, up from a third today. The poorest countries are not immune to these projections.
A health problem, but also an economic problem
Experts have also established that these developments have enormous economic repercussions at the macro and micro levels, as well as important consequences for mortality and morbidity. For example, at the macro level, the estimated economic cost is an annual loss of global GDP of 10%, which is equivalent to a global financial crisis every year.
“We absolutely have to pay more attention to diet since 6 of the 11 risk factors for disease are linked to what we eat. We need to focus on unhealthy diets rather than just the symptoms, ”observes Patrick Webb of the Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition, an expert committee that has looked at food systems.
States must act to tackle these food problems
The Global Panel says in its report that governments should view this public health problem as they have done for diseases such as HIV or for the fight against smoking.
“Strengthening the capacity of food systems to provide high-quality food is a choice within the grasp of decision-makers. Acting today will reap the benefits for decades to come, for all people, in all countries, ”the report concludes.
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