Despite the global food crisis and the widespread malnutrition, the percentage of people suffering from obesity increases. In a new report produced by The Lancet, processed food and sugar have become too much of a staple in foods around the world that obesity and malnutrition are now inseparable.
The report has described that this is the first time that nutritionists were able to experience that these two serious nutrition issues are commonly found together.
AN OVERVIEW OF MALNUTRITION AND OBESITY
According to the World Health Organization, malnutrition is the deficiency and excess or an imbalance in a person's energy and nutrient intake. Malnutrition is divided into two groups: undernutrition -- which is composed of stunting, wasting (the phenomenon when there is low weight relative to the height), micronutrient deficiencies, and being underweight -- and obesity.
WHO declares that there are around 1.9 million adults that suffer from obesity worldwide, in which about 462 million are underweight. Meanwhile, there are around 41 million children under five years old that are already suffering from obesity while there are an estimated 159 million children that are stunted, and around 50 million are wasted.
The usual causes of malnutrition are poor diet choices and the lack of nutrients, which is usually caused by poor diet.
MALNUTRITION AND OBESITY ARE NOW INSEPARABLE
Health experts would pinpoint the global availability of processed foods as the root of the double burden of nutrition. What started out as an exclusive practice in rich countries, the processed food industry is making its way to the third world, into the home of some of the world's poorest people.
Francesco Branca, director of the Department of Nutrition for Health and Development of the World Health Organization, explains, "the quality of the food is absolutely poor: not enough vitamins and minerals, and cheap food, high in fat, sugar, and salt."
Malnutrition works in bizarre ways. For instance, kids that suffer from stunting can also suffer from obesity, and there are cases of obese mothers who gave birth to children that suffered from wasting before reaching their fifth year.
The consequences of malnutrition and obesity are well-known globally. Obesity can lead to a lot of health problems like type-2 diabetes, high blood pressure, strokes, and heart disease. It can also be a gateway to cancer and pregnancy issues for obese women. On the other hand, undernutrition can have a long-lasting effect on a person's metabolism and insulin-signaling pathways. A perfect example would be a kid who is stunted throughout his childhood is more likely to have belly fat when he grows old, and this is dangerous.
A SOCIETAL ISSUE
According to the report of the WHO, 8% of the global GDP is lost to malnutrition, and at least 3% is lost because of obesity. Additionally, an irresponsible diet is the main cause of death in one of five adults globally.
Food-processing is an age-old human practice of using salt to be able to preserve food for a long time. Egyptians are known to use salt to extend the life of their food up to 4,000 years. However, due to the widespread use of preservatives in modern times, eating processed foods became equivalent to a death sentence, albeit unknowingly. Processed foods encourage people to eat and eat continuously. However, as processed foods become more accessible globally, more and more people are becoming at risk of obesity and malnutrition, both from not getting enough nutrients and eating lots of junk food.
Alessandro Demaio, former CEO of the EAT-Lancet Commission and one of the authors of the report, said, "the food environments that are shaping around the world, indeed, in turn, shape the nutrition of generations". He also added that the commodification and homogenization of the global food system contribute greatly. According to the WHO, the effects are felt across the world, especially in Latin America, Southeast Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa.
WHAT IS THE SOLUTION TO THE GLOBAL MALNUTRITION CRISIS?
"I admit that it's not an easy job, because the influence of the food industry is an important one," Branca said, talking about solving the malnutrition crisis. The authors of the report suggest a diet that primarily consists of fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and beans. It can also help if governments impose a higher tax on processed foods and sugary drinks and give incentives for community food production.
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