Sustainable RDN

Adding only a few ultraprocessed foods to a healthy diet raised risk of cognitive decline and stroke, study says

Eating more ultraprocessed foods is linked to a higher risk of cognitive decline and stroke, even if a person is trying to adhere to a Mediterranean diet, the DASH diet or the MIND diet, a new study published in the journal Neurology has reported. All three diets are plant-based, focused on consuming more fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans and seeds while limiting sugar, red meat and ultraprocessed foods. On the flip side, eating more unprocessed or minimally processed foods was linked with a 12% lower risk of cognitive impairment, according to the new study published in the journal Neurology (LaMotte, 2024; Bhave et al., 2024).

Associations Between Ultra-Processed Food Consumption and Adverse Brain Health Outcomes (June 11, 2024 issue of Neurology)

https://www.neurology.org/doi/10.1212/WNL.0000000000209432

Ultraprocessed foods include prepackaged soups, sauces, frozen pizza, ready-to-eat meals and pleasure foods such as hot dogs, sausages, French fries, sodas, store-bought cookies, cakes, candies, doughnuts, ice cream and many more.

Such foods are typically high in calories, added sugar and salt and low in fiber, all of which can contribute to cardiometabolic health problems, weight gain, obesity, type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, experts say. (LaMotte, 2024)

An increased risk of stroke

“The study analyzed data on 30,000 people participating in the REGARD, or REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke study, made up of 50% Whites and 50% Blacks in a nationally diverse group of people who have been followed for up to 20 years.
The risk of stroke was 8% higher for people who added the most ultraprocessed foods to their diet as compared with those who ate minimally processed foods, said study author and neurologist Dr. W. Taylor Kimberly, chief of the division of neurocritical care at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

That risk rose to 15% for Black participants, likely due to the impact of ultraprocessed foods on high blood pressure in that population, Kimberly said. However, if a person ate more unprocessed or minimally processed foods, the risk of stroke dropped by 9%, the study found.” (LatMotte, 2024; Bhave et al., 2024)

Do Ultraprocessed Foods Sabotage Efforts to Follow a Healthy Diet?

“What is it about ultraprocessed foods that may allow them to sabotage efforts to follow a healthy diet? It could be their poor nutrient composition and tendency to spike blood sugars, which can lead to type 2 diabetes, obesity, elevated blood pressure and high cholesterol, said Peipei Gao and Zhendong Mei in an editorial published with the study (Gao and Mei, 2024).

Mei is a research fellow in medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, while Gao is a graduate student in nutrition visiting Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, also in Boston. Neither was involved in the study. Type 2 diabetes, obesity, elevated blood pressure and high cholesterol are all key risk factors for vascular disease in the heart and brain, they wrote. (LaMotte, 2024)

The impact on blood vessels that leads to stroke and cognitive decline may also be due “to the presence of additives including emulsifiers, colorants, sweeteners, and nitrates/nitrites, which have been associated with disruptions in the gut microbial ecosystem and inflammation,” they added. (LaMotte, 2024)

Growing dangers of ultraprocessed foods

Studies on the dangers of eating ultraprocessed foods are piling up. According to a February review of 45 meta-analyses on almost 10 million people, eating 10% more ultraprocessed foods raised the risk of developing or dying from dozens of adverse health conditions.

That 10% increase was considered “baseline,” and adding even more ultraprocessed foods might increase the risk, experts say.

There was strong evidence that a higher intake of ultraprocessed foods was associated with about a 50% higher risk of cardiovascular disease-related death and common mental disorders, according to the review. (LaMotte, 2024)

References

LaMotte, S. Adding just a few ultraprocessed foods to a healthy diet raised risk of cognitive decline and stroke, study says. CNN. May 22, 2024. Available at: https://edition.cnn.com/2024/05/22/health/ultraprocessed-food-stroke-cognitive-decline-wellness/index.html

Bhave VM, Oladele CR, Ament Z et al. Associations between ultra-processed food consumption and adverse brain health outcomes. Neurology. 2024;102(11):e209432. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000209432.

Gao P, Mei Z. Editorial: Food in brain health. Does processing level matter? Neurology. 2024;102(11): https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000209511

May 22, 2024: International Day of Biodiversity (IDB): Be a Part of the Plan

“Be part of the Plan”, the theme of IDB 2024, is a call to action for all stakeholders to halt and reverse the loss of biodiversity by supporting the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, also referred to as the The Biodiversity Plan.

International Day of Biodiversity (IDB) 2024:

https://www.cbd.int/biodiversity-day

The Biodiversity Plan offers opportunities for cooperation and partnerships among diverse actors.

“Governments, indigenous peoples and local communities, non-governmental organizations, lawmakers, businesses, and individuals are encouraged to highlight the ways in which they are supporting the implementation of the Biodiversity Plan. Everyone has a role to play and therefore can Be Part of the Plan.”

IDB 2024 is expected to increase the visibility momentum in the lead-up to the sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 16), to be held in Colombia from 21 October to 1 November 2024.

Click here to read the full notification with more information about this year’s theme.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has released a Strategy on Mainstreaming Biodiversity Across Agricultural Sectors. To learn more, see:

International Day for Biological Diversity 2024: FAO stresses importance of biodiversity for agrifood systems

https://www.fao.org/newsroom/detail/new-action-plan-launched-for-implementing-fao-strategy-mainstreaming-biodiversity-across-agricultural-sectors-as-biodiversityrelated-projects-approved/en?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3fiI2-LDrlEiLaCRpIj25tHCr9x_zLm-rm3nujDxt7cD3kgcM4B78xPxU_aem_ZmFrZWR1bW15MTZieXRlcw

World wastes over 1 billion meals a day: UN report

According to a new UN report, “Households across all continents wasted over 1 billion meals a day in 2022, while 783 million people were affected by hunger and a third of humanity faced food insecurity.” Food waste also contributes to the triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste (UNEP Press Release, 2024).

Food waste is expensive too. The 2024 UN Food Waste Index report — which measured food waste at the consumer and retail level across more than 100 countries — found that over a trillion dollars’ worth of food gets disposed every year, from households to grocery stores, across the globe (UNEP, 2024; Delgado, 2024).

“Such waste takes a significant toll on the environment. The process of producing food — the raising of animals, the land and water use, and the subsequent pollution that goes with it — is horribly intensive on the planet. Food waste squanders those efforts, and then makes it worse: as it rots in landfills, it creates methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. Food waste alone is responsible for an estimated 8 to 10 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the report. To put that into perspective, if food waste were a country, it would be third in emissions produced, behind only the United States and China.” (Delgado, 2024; UNEP, 2024)

“Perhaps the most immediate harm, though, is the more than 780 million people who went hungry around the world in 2022, even as hundreds of billions of meals were wasted that same year. The world has become more efficient at producing a lot of food, so much so that there’s more than enough to go around for everyone. But in 2022, nearly 30 percent of people were moderately or severely food insecure, defined by the Food and Agricultural Organization as lacking regular access to safe and nutritious food.”

“Food waste reduction is “an opportunity to reduce costs and to tackle some of the biggest environmental and social issues of our time: fighting climate change and addressing food insecurity,” the authors of the report write.” (Delgado, 2024)

“Food waste might seem like an easy problem to solve — just stop wasting food. But in order to snuff food waste out, individuals, businesses, and policymakers alike will need to make some serious changes — and those changes will look different for each country. Global food waste is not just a consumer-level problem, but also a nasty side effect of inefficient food systems that have environmental and social implications.” (Delgado, 2024)

“The UN has the goal of slashing food waste in half by 2030. For that to happen, the authors of the Food Waste Index say there’s one crucial step all countries need to do: data collection. You can’t stop wasting food until you know how much food you’re wasting.” (Delgado, 2024; UNEP, 2024)

The report uses a three-level methodology with each level increasing in accuracy and utility. The first level is an estimate using preexisting food waste data from countries. For countries that haven’t yet started collecting data on food waste, UNEP took data from other nearby countries that had similar income levels and then extrapolated that information to create estimates. These figures are a helpful start to understanding the scale at which food waste may exist in a country, but the report emphasizes that most of the Level 1 estimates are not accurate enough to use beyond that.

To clarify which estimates can be used for understanding the scale of a problem and which can be used beyond that, the report also assigned a “confidence” rating to each Level 1 estimate — high, medium, low, very low, or no rating. Only 11 countries were assigned a high confidence rating for household food waste estimates. Of these, Saudi Arabia had the highest amount of household food waste per person annually, at a little over 231 pounds per person. Bhutan had the lowest, at just under 42 pounds per person.” (Delgado, 2024; UNEP, 2024)

How do you measure food waste?

“According to the report — which was spearheaded by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and co-authored by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), a UK-based climate organization — households contributed to 60 percent of all food waste generated globally in 2022, compared to nearly 28 percent for food service and a little under 13 percent for retailers.” (Delgado, 2024; UNEP, 2024)

“The report uses a three-level methodology with each level increasing in accuracy and utility. The first level is an estimate using preexisting food waste data from countries. For countries that haven’t yet started collecting data on food waste, UNEP took data from other nearby countries that had similar income levels and then extrapolated that information to create estimates. These figures are a helpful start to understanding the scale at which food waste may exist in a country, but the report emphasizes that most of the Level 1 estimates are not accurate enough to use beyond that.” (Delgado, 2024; UNEP 2024)

“Only four G20 countries (Australia, Japan, UK, the USA) and the European Union have food waste estimates suitable for tracking progress to 2030. Canada and Saudi Arabia have suitable household estimates, with Brazil’s estimate expected late 2024. In this context, the report serves as a practical guide for countries to consistently measure and report food waste.” (UNEP Press Release, 2024)

“The data confirms that food waste is not just a ‘rich country’ problem, with levels of household food waste differing in observed average levels for high-income, upper-middle, and lower-middle-income countries by just 7 kg per capita. At the same time, hotter countries appear to generate more food waste per capita in households, potentially due to higher consumption of fresh foods with substantial inedible parts and a lack of robust cold chains.” (UNEP Press Release, 2024)

Out of six different regions of the world, Latin America and the Caribbean is the region that wastes the most food annually (Delgado, 2024; UNEP, 2024). In low-income countries, people may waste food due to lack of refrigeration. In contrast, in high-income countries, people who waste food may be less concerned about waste and resource use (Delgado, 2024; UNEP, 2024).

Learn useful tips for reducing food waste in your household here:

How to cut down on food waste at home

https://one5c.com/food-waste-disposal-136944418/

And finally, click on the link below to learn how to use a wide variety of fruit and vegetable peels (apples, carrots, citrus fruits, eggplant, kiwis, mangos, potatoes, and tomatoes) to reduce food waste and increase the nutritional content of your meals:

Using Fruit and Vegetable Peels in Your Meals: How To

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/premium/article/are-you-discarding-the-most-nutritious-part-of-fruits-and-veggies?rid=C9BE3CDDB176B86AF366007379D84B33&cmpid=org=ngp::mc=crm-email::src=ngp::cmp=editorial::add=Daily_NL_Tuesday_Science_20240326

References

United Nations Environment Report (UNEP). World squanders over 1 billion meals a day: UN report. Press Release. March 27, 2024. Available at: https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/press-release/world-squanders-over-1-billion-meals-day-un-report

United Nations Environment Report (UNEP). Food Waste Index Report 2024. Think Eat Save: Tracking Progress to Halve Global Food Waste. Nairobi, Kenya: UNEP. March 27, 2024. Available at: https://wedocs.unep.org/handle/20.500.11822/45230

Colino S. Don’t trash the peels! The skins of fruits and veggies pack a nutritional punch. National Geographic. March 26, 2024. Available at: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/premium/article/are-you-discarding-the-most-nutritious-part-of-fruits-and-veggies?rid=C9BE3CDDB176B86AF366007379D84B33&cmpid=org=ngp::mc=crm-email::src=ngp::cmp=editorial::add=Daily_NL_Tuesday_Science_20240326

European Commission. Food Waste Index Report 2024. Think Eat Save: Tracking Progress to Halve Global Food Waste. March 27, 2024. Available at: https://knowledge4policy.ec.europa.eu/publication/food-waste-index-report-2024-think-eat-save-tracking-progress-halve-global-food-waste_en

Delgado S. How the world wastes hundreds of billions of meals in a year, in three charts. May 4, 2024. Vox. Available at: https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2024/5/4/24147350/billions-of-meals-wasted-unep-study-food

Watson SK. How to cut down on food waste at home. One 5C. Mach 14, 2024. Available at: https://one5c.com/food-waste-disposal-136944418/

Song J, Jeong J, Eun-Hee Kim E-H, et al. A strategy for healthy eating habits of daily fruits revisited: A metabolomics study. Current Research in Food Science. 2023;6: 100440.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crfs.2023.100440

April 24 is Stop Food Waste Day

The single largest day of action in the fight against global food waste. See the links below to learn about the various ways you can show your support and make a difference to prevent food waste on this day to Stop Food Waste (and every day):

RECIPES & TIPS

It all starts at home.

Check out the link for food waste prevention tips including recipes, the Stop Food Waste digital cookbook, and inspiration from leading chefs.

Delicious taste, no waste!

https://www.stopfoodwasteday.com/en/recipes-and-top-tips.html

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT:

Take the Stop Food Waste Day pledge and share it across your personal and professional social media platforms
Download the social media cards on this page and use them across your social media platforms, adding your own message and always using the hashtag: #StopFoodWasteDay and remembering to tag our accounts:

Twitter: @_stopfoodwasteday_
LinkedIn: @Stop Food Waste Day
Instagram: @stop_food_waste_day
Facebook: @stopfoodwasteday
Download the digital and/or print posters and use them in your communications campaigns, or as materials to support your very own Stop Food Waste Day activities.

CAMPAIGN TOOLKIT

Download the full campaign toolkit by clicking here. Or, explore the assets in more detail below:

https://www.stopfoodwasteday.com/en/get-involved/download-the-toolkit.html

Global warming is coming for your shopping cart: New research

A team of economists dig into a relatively under-studied area: Climate inflation.

Climate change is already increasing food prices and overall inflation, and these effects are likely to accelerate in the future, according to a new study published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment.

“The findings add heft to a growing collection of research on the effects of climate change on the economy. In this area, climate-related inflation has been relatively under-studied—a key oversight “because rising or unstable prices threaten economic and human welfare as well as political stability.”

The analysis rests on more than 27,000 month-by-month data points on prices of food and other consumer goods since 1996 gathered from 121 nations around the world. The researchers combined this information with data on temperature and other climate factors, controlling for a suite of variables to identify likely causal links between changes in weather and higher food prices.

In 2022, for example, a severe summer heat wave in Europe reduced food supplies and triggered an increase of two-thirds of a percentage point in food prices and one-third of a percentage point of overall inflation.

Of the various climate factors analyzed, increases in average monthly temperature have the strongest effect on food prices, the researchers found. But increases in the day-to-day variability of temperatures from day to day and floods also contribute to boosting food prices.

The researchers then used data from climate models to forecast the effect of future climate change on food prices and overall inflation. Several previous studies have used historical weather data to identify the impacts of changing climate parameters on inflation. But this is the first to run the tape forward and calculate implications for the future.

Climate change could cause food prices to increase by 1.5 to 1.8 percentage points annually by the middle of the next decade, the researchers report. The lower number reflects a best-case (that is, lowest greenhouse gas emissions) scenario, and the higher number a worst-case (highest emissions) scenario. Overall inflation is projected to increase 0.8-0.9 percentage points annually by 2035 due to climate change.

Shorter term, more irregular price shocks are also likely to come from increased frequency and intensity of extreme heat. The level of average warming projected for 2035 could result in heat waves with effects on prices 30-50% greater than those of the 2022 European heat wave, they calculated.

Climate-related inflation is projected to occur all over the world. It is likely to be most pronounced in regions that are already hot—including many countries of the Global South that have contributed relatively little to historical emissions and have less climate resilience. But climate inflation is likely to pack a wallop even in the Global North, the researchers found.

Looking further into the future, low-emission and high-emission scenarios diverge, underscoring the importance of climate action to hold climate inflation in check. By 2060, inflation due to climate change is projected to raise food prices by 2.2-4.3 percentage points annually, depending on the emissions scenario, and boost overall inflation by 1.1 to 2.2 percentage points yearly.

“Our results suggest that climate change is likely to alter inflation seasonality, increase inflation volatility, inflation heterogeneity and place persistent pressures on inflation levels,” the researchers write.”

References

Kotz, M., Kuik, F., Lis, E. et al. Global warming and heat extremes to enhance inflationary pressures. Commun Earth Environ. 2024;5:116. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-023-01173-x

DeWeerdt S. Global warming is coming for your shopping cart. Anthropocene Magazine. April 16, 2024. Available at: https://www.anthropocenemagazine.org/2024/04/global-warming-is-coming-for-your-shopping-cart/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=climate-change-will-strain-grocery-budgets-all-over-the-world

Soy production – and cattle ranching – linked to “shocking” land clearance in Brazil’s Cerrado and the Amazon, study says

“Nearly 60,000 hectares of forest was cleared in Brazil’s Cerrado and Amazon in late 2023, with likely ties to the supply chains of some of the world’s largest soy exporters including Bunge and Cargill, a report has found.

The Cerrado is the second-largest Brazilian biome, and one of the world’s most biodiverse regions. Covering 22% of the country, it is home to over 6,000 tree species. However, over the last few years, it has faced increasing rates of land conversion mainly linked to soy and beef production.”

Another new study by scientists from Brazil and Europe published in the journal Diversity and Distribution looked at how man-made climate change could possibly trigger the migration of thousand of plant species in Brazil’s Cerrado.

Cerrado plants and climate change

“A new study by scientists from Brazil and Europe has looked at how warming temperatures might force over 7,000 plant species in the Cerrado to move. Plants, like animals, have a geographical range.

This is the area where the temperature, rainfall, and general conditions make it just right for them to survive and grow. Climate change is messing with those perfect conditions, and plants are feeling the heat – literally.

“Every plant and animal species has a ‘geographical range’ – the area where conditions are suitable for it to live,” said Mateus Silva, from the University of Exeter.

Cerrado ecology

Think of the Cerrado as a smaller, but no less incredible, cousin to the Amazon rainforest. It’s a place packed with roughly 12,000 flowering plant species. From towering trees to delicate orchids, the Cerrado’s plants purify the air we breathe, support vast networks of wildlife, and sustain indigenous communities.

Sadly, this ecological treasure chest is under siege. Relentless conversion for agriculture and cattle ranching has eaten away roughly half of the Cerrado. This destruction doesn’t just mean lost beauty – it unravels delicately balanced ecosystems, jeopardizes countless species, and disrupts the natural services these landscapes provide, like water cycling and climate regulation.

Uphill Cerrado plants due to climate change

As temperatures rise globally, many plants instinctively seek cooler havens at higher altitudes. “As the climate warms, plants’ ranges are shifting, with many species going uphill,” said study co-author Mateus Silva from the University of Exeter.

This uphill migration reveals nature’s resilience – even slow-moving plants adapt to survive. Yet, this strategy has stark limits. Lowland plants may find some refuge uphill, assuming they can move fast enough to keep pace with the changing climate and aren’t blocked by human-made obstacles.

But the climb brings a hidden cost: it squeezes those already at higher elevations. Plants on mountaintops have no escape. As temperatures increase, they face a shrinking world with nowhere left to climb…

Remember, the Cerrado is a remarkable and irreplaceable part of our planet. Its thousands of plant species, some of which cannot be found anywhere else in the world, are in a race for survival. Climate change is pushing them uphill, but human destruction is cutting off their escape route. While the science is important, it’s time to move beyond simply watching and start taking serious action.

The study is published in the journal Diversity and Distributions.”

References

Soy production linked to “shocking” land clearance in Brazil’s Cerrado and the Amazon, study says. Carbon Pulse. March 15, 2024. Available at: https://carbon-pulse.com/269193/

Radwin M. Deforestation from soy shows no sign of stopping in Cerrado, report says. Mongabay News. March 21, 2024. Available at: https://news-mongabay-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/news.mongabay.com/2024/03/deforestation-from-soy-shows-no-sign-of-stopping-in-cerrado-report-says/amp/

Gajhhiye S. Climate change triggers migration of thousands of plant species. Earth.com. March 25, 2024. Available at: https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-triggers-epic-plant-migration-in-brazils-cerrado/

Ultra-processed foods linked to early death, obesity, diabetes, and mental disorders: Largest study to date finds

Eating ultra-processed foods raises the risk of developing or dying from dozens of adverse health conditions, according to a new “umbrella review” of 45 meta-analyses. The authors found consistent evidence linking higher intakes of ultra-processed foods with over 70% of the 45 different health outcomes assessed.

The umbrella review, a high-level evidence summary, included 45 distinct pooled meta-analyses from 14 review articles associating ultra-processed foods with adverse health outcomes. The review articles were all published in the past three years and involved 9.9 million people. None of the studies were funded by companies involved in the production of ultra-processed foods.

Researchers graded each study as having credible or strong, highly suggestive, suggestive, weak or no evidence. All the studies in the review were published in the past three years, and none was funded by companies involved in the production of ultra-processed foods, the authors said.

Researchers found highly suggestive evidence that eating more ultra-processed foods raised the risk of obesity by 55%, sleep disorders by 41%, development of type 2 diabetes by 40% and the risk of depression by 20%.

However, evidence was limited for an association between consuming ultra-processed food and asthma, gastrointestinal health and cardiometabolic risk factors such as high blood fats and low levels of “good” high-density lipoprotein, or HDL, cholesterol, according to the analysis.

According to the authors, “Greater exposure to ultra-processed food was associated with a higher risk of adverse health outcomes, especially cardiometabolic, common mental disorder, and mortality outcomes. These findings provide a rationale to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of using population based and public health measures to target and reduce dietary exposure to ultra-processed foods for improved human health. They also inform and provide support for urgent mechanistic research.” (Lane et al., 2024)

The study found only suggestive or no evidence for an association between ultra-processed foods and cancer, which was a surprising finding, according to Dr. Fang Fang Zhang, a cancer epidemiologist at Tufts University, who has researched the role of ultra-processed foods and cancer.

“Obesity is a risk factor for 13 types of cancers. Ultra-processed foods increase weight gain, and obesity increases cancer,” she said. In an August 2022 study she coauthored, Zhang found men who ate the most ultra-processed foods of any type had a 29% higher risk of developing colorectal cancer.

“One reason for the unexpected finding is that research on ultra-processed foods is still in its infancy, said study coauthor Mathilde Touvier, research director at the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research, a public research organization.”

“We definitely need more studies to be able to upgrade the weight of evidence for cancer, for instance,” said Touvier, also the principal investigator of the NutriNet-Santé cohort, a long-term study of the relationship between nutrition and health.”

“So it’s not because there’s nothing there, it’s just because we need additional research,” she said. (LaMotte, 2024; Lane et al., 2024)

The making of ultra-processed foods

“Ultra-processed foods are much more than simply “modified” foods, said nutrition researcher Dr. Carlos Monteiro, head of the Centre for Epidemiological Studies in Health and Nutrition at the University of São Paulo in Brazil.”

“They are formulations of often chemically manipulated cheap ingredients such as modified starches, sugars, oils, fats, and protein isolates, with little if any whole food added,” said Monteiro, a professor of nutrition and public health, in an accompanying editorial.

“Monteiro coined the term ultra-processed food in 2009 when he developed NOVA, a system of classifying foods into four categories. Group one consists of unprocessed or minimally processed foods such as fruits, vegetables, eggs and milk. Group two includes culinary ingredients such as salt, herbs, oils and the like. Group three are processed foods that combine groups one and two — canned goods and frozen vegetables are examples.”

Group four are ultra-processed foods, which Monteiro said are made flavorful and enticing by using combinations of artificial flavors, colors, thickeners and other additives that have been “linked by experimental and epidemiological evidence to imbalances in gut microbiota and systemic inflammation.”

“No reason exists to believe that humans can fully adapt to these products,” Monteiro wrote in the editorial. “The body may react to them as useless or harmful, so its systems may become impaired or damaged, depending on their vulnerability and the amount of ultra-processed food consumed.”

“Since Monteiro’s definition of ultra-processed food appeared, nutritionists, researchers and public health officials have grown concerned about the increasing prevalence of such foods in the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada and many developing nations.”

“Two-thirds of the calories children consume in the US are ultra-processed, while about 60% of adult diets are ultra-processed,” Zhang said.

“I think it’s like when we invented cars,” she added. “Yes, they bring us convenience, but if we use a car for everything and we don’t exercise we have problems. We need new strategies to bring down the consumption of ultra-processed food to a healthier level.” (LaMotte, 2024; Lane et al, 2024)

How to reduce the use of ultra-processed foods

Prepare food and cook it at home. Experts also agree that in today’s fast-paced world, giving up the convenience of ready-to-heat and ready-to-eat foods is difficult. In addition, it’s nearly impossible to avoid them, as over 70% of the US food supply is comprised of ultra-processed food.

Regulation by public health agencies and governments should be considered, Monteiro said, such as front-of-pack warning labels; restriction of advertising, especially to children; and the prohibition of sales of ultra-processed foods in or near schools and hospitals, all while making minimally processed foods more affordable and accessible. (LaMotte, 2024; Lane et al, 2024)

Below are examples of octagonal nutrient warning labels that exist on food and beverages in Mexico, Colombia, and other countries in Latin America:

To reduce one’s intake of ultra-processed foods, take the following steps:

1. Read and compare product labels and try to choose less processed alternatives. For example, swap flavored yogurt for plain yogurt with added fruit.

2. Focus on what you can add to your diet (as opposed to take away) such as fresh or frozen fruits, vegetables, beans, and legumes.

3. Be mindful of beverages. Sugar-sweetened beverages have no nutritional value. Swap them out for water.

4. When eating out, go to local restaurants and cafés instead of fast-food chains. Local eateries are less likely to make ultra-processed foods.

5. For children, fill their plates with plenty of whole foods, including fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, whole grains, and legumes (such as beans, peas, and lentils). Cut back on the amount of ultra-processed foods in their diets. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) reports that glyphosate, a broad-spectrum herbicide, is present in many foods, especially ultra-processed foods. Many genetically engineered (GE) crops are engineered to survive being sprayed with the glyphosate – a broad-spectrum herbicide – during the growing season. Most GE crops are grown to make ultra-processed foods and animal feed. The AAP recommends reading food labels carefully, and consider choosing foods and drinks that are free of genetically-engineered ingredients (look for the Non-GMO Project Verified label, or organic certified label), whenever possible (Abrams & Landrigan – AAP, December 2023).

References

Lane ML, Gamage E, Du S, et al. Ultra-processed food exposure and adverse health outcomes: umbrella review of epidemiological meta-analyses. BMJ. 2024;384:e077310 https://www.bmj.com/content/384/bmj-2023-077310

Monteiro CA, Martínez-Steele E, Cannon G. Reasons to avoid ultra-processed foods. Editorial. BMJ. 2024;384:q439. https://www.bmj.com/content/384/bmj.q439

Southey F. Ultra-processed food linked to 32 poor health outcomes in largest study to date. March 5, 2024. Food Navigator – Europe. Available at: https://www.foodnavigator.com/Article/2024/03/05/Ultra-processed-food-linked-to-mortality-in-largest-UPF-study-to-date

LaMotte S. Ultraprocessed foods linked to heart disease, diabetes, mental disorders and early death, study finds. CNN. February 28, 2024. Available at: https://edition.cnn.com/2024/02/28/health/ultraprocessed-food-health-risks-study-wellness/index.html

Wang K, Du M, Khandpur N. Association of ultra-processed food consumption with colorectal cancer risk among men and women: results from three prospective US cohort studies. BMJ. 2022;378:e068921.

Abrams SA, Landrigan PJ. Are GMO Foods Safe for My Child? AAP Policy Explained. American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). December 2023. Available at: https://www.healthychildren.org/English/healthy-living/nutrition/Pages/are-GMO-foods-safe-for-my-child-AAP-policy-explained.aspx

World Obesity Atlas 2024: No area of the world is unaffected by the consequences of obesity

March 4, 2024 is World Obesity Day. This year’s Obesity Atlas, published by the World Obesity Federation, reveals that “No area of the world is unaffected by the consequences of Obesity,” and that: “Rising rates of obesity rates across the world reveal massive gaps in healthcare and nutrition, with poorest populations most adversely affected.” The World Obesity Federation, formerly called the International Association for the Study of Obesity and the International Task Force, is the only global organization focused exclusively on obesity. World Obesity Day 2024 sees the publication of the sixth World Obesity Atlas.

The Global Obesity Atlas 2024 covers:

Obesity and its consequences

• Global, regional, and national estimates of the contribution of obesity to leading non-communicable diseases in adults

• Global, regional and national predictions of the effects of obesity on children’s higher risk of non-communicable diseases

• 186 national scorecards for child and adult obesity and its consequences

“The new 2024 Atlas underscores how factors driving economic development are contributing to obesity trends. Shockingly, of the global deaths attributed to high Body Mass Index (BMI), the population measure of obesity, 78% occur among adults in LMICs, eclipsing the 22% in high-income nations. Similarly, 80% of Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) are attributed to high BMI burden adults in LMICs, compared to a mere 20% in high-income countries.”

“It’s a common misconception that obesity – and its myriad health implications – are only limited to certain countries in the Global North,’ said Kent Buse, Director of the Healthier Societies Program at the George Institute for Global Health. “But the barriers to healthy and affordable foods, to active transport and much-needed medical support are not limited to what people likely consider to be ‘rich’ countries, and governments all over the world need to implement policies that help communities gain access to healthy food and responsive health systems now. The projections in the Global Atlas make very clear what the alternative is and it is a frightening prospect.”

Some key statistics include:

79% of adults with overweight and obesity will live in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) by 2035.
88% of children with overweight and obesity will be living in LMICs by 2035.
It is projected that the number of adults living with obesity will rise from 0.81 billion in 2020 to 1.53 billion in 2035.

Reference

World Obesity Federation. Obesity Atlas 2024. England; World Obesity Federation. March 1, 2024. Available at: https://data.worldobesity.org/publications/WOF-Obesity-Atlas-v6.pdf

Related Publications

NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC). Worldwide trends in underweight and obesity from 1990 to 2022: a pooled analysis of 3663 population-representative studies with 222 million children, adolescents, and adults. The Lancet. February 29, 2024 (published online ahead of print). Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673623027502

Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). One in eight people are now living with obesity. March 1, 2024. Available at: https://www.paho.org/en/news/1-3-2024-one-eight-people-are-now-living-obesity

Towards a more holistic understanding of sustainable diets: An ecological public health approach

According to a recent scoping review titled, “Global dietary patterns are not sustainable” published in the journal Nutrition Reviews, a more holistic understanding of the concept ‘sustainable diets’ is needed. There is broad consensus that consumers must be encouraged to shift toward sustainable diets, defined by Burlingame and Dermini (2010) as:

“diets with low environmental impacts which contribute to food and nutrition security and to healthy life for present and future generations. Sustainable diets are protective and respectful of biodiversity and ecosystems, culturally acceptable, accessible, economically fair and affordable; nutritionally adequate, safe and healthy; while optimizing natural and human resources.”

Facilitating dietary change is a critical component of the transition toward more-sustainable diets. The authors of this new scoping review provide readers with an overview of the range of challenges that must be addressed in promoting the uptake of more-sustainable dietary practices and present several interventions that can pursued to facilitate more sustainable diets. More specifically, they state that, “The findings contribute to improved understanding of how support can be generated for the necessary structural and system-level changes that are required to support behavior change.”

See Figure 1 for an overview of the numerous factors influencing the adoption of sustainable diets, including structural determinants and intermediary determinants.

Figure 1: Structural determinants and intermediary determinants of sustainable diets

“Considering the centrality of human health in current consumer conceptualizations of the term sustainable diet, and in dietary motivations, public health professionals are central to promoting a more holistic understanding of the term. Correspondingly, 3 key actions to facilitate progress toward more sustainable diets are recommended. “

“First, sustained efforts are needed from public health professionals to encourage a realignment of the term sustainable diet with its multidimensional meaning by championing an ecological public health approach in all efforts aimed at promoting more sustainable consumption from awareness raising to policy development.

Second, a broader research lens should be focused on the multidimensional concept of sustainability in the literature exploring consumer attitudes and behaviors.

And third, the development of multidisciplinary, clear, and evidence-based sustainable eating messages, including holistic sustainable dietary guidance, is needed to address knowledge gaps, minimize conflicting narratives, and build consumer agency.

Although more research that accounts for country-specific sociocultural, and economic considerations will be essential to developing these messages and strategies for supporting more sustainable diets, the existing literature highlights several considerations and specific actions targeting various challenges [See Tables 1–2 below] that can be pursued in the meantime to encourage and support more sustainable diets.”

Tables 1 and 2 include a summary of actions and strategies necessary to facilitate the adoption of sustainable diets (Kenny et. 2023).

References

Kenny TA, Woodside JV, Perry IJ, Harrington JM. Consumer attitudes and behaviors toward more sustainable diets: a scoping review. Nutrition Reviews. 2023:nuad033.

Burlingame B, Dernini S. Sustainable Diets and Biodiversity: Directions and Solutions for Policy, Research and Action. Rome, Italy: Food and Agriculture Organization; 2010;307.

Foodwise: A kid’s guide on fighting food waste and saving the planet

“In a world faced with the imminent threat of climate change, two passionate women, Lucy Bell and Lucy Leonardi, have joined forces to do their bit to tackle the enormous challenge of food waste, which contributes to climate change in a big way.”

“Their collaborative effort has resulted in the creation of a remarkable book, called Foodwise. This book is all about helping children to love their veggies, thanks to amazing stories and even better recipes. The two Lucys understand that if we are going to fight food waste, helping children fully appreciate and respect what they eat is going to be key, and that’s the core of the Foodwise message.”

The Origin of Foodwise

Lucy Bell and Lucy Leonardi, the dynamic duo behind Foodwise, both share a deep passion for the environment and the urgency to combat climate change. Inspired by their daughters and their desire for a brighter future, they embarked on this journey to make a difference.

“We discovered that not only do we share a first name, but also a birthday – clearly this book was meant to be,” Bell said.

“We want to take kids on a journey to appreciate food – to learn to experience it using all their senses, cook it in fun and different ways, and to learn where it came from and how it was grown.”

You can learn more about this fabulous eco-friendly book Foodwise, which includes 50 kid-friendly recipe ideas, via the link below:

Foodwise: A kid’s guide to fighting food waste and saving the planet

Foodwise

Packed with awesome activities, fun facts and 50 delicious recipes with beautiful photos to match, Foodwise will show you how to:

Use up fruit and veggie scraps
Turn leftovers into meals fit for a feast
Make your own compost
Start a garden journal

Try these easy, kid-friendly recipes:

Spicy peanut butter noodles
Carrot top pesto
Spinach pasta cups
Leftover roast chicken rice paper rolls
Banana and strawberry popsicles
Zucchini apple chocolate loaf

Also, see the related podcast below:

Podcast: Lucy Leonardi on Food Waste and Becoming Food Wise

https://www.betterreading.com.au/podcast/podcast-lucy-leonardi-on-food-waste-and-becoming-food-wise/

Source:

Foodwise: An amazing new book that tackles food waste and tantalizes taste buds! November 2, 2023. Available at: https://goodandfugly.com.au/blogs/news/foodwise-an-amazing-new-book-that-tackles-food-waste-and-tantalises-taste-buds