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 A study published in the Bulletin of the World
Health Organisation (WHO) suggested that if governments took firmer
action, they could start to prevent people becoming overweight and
obese — conditions with serious long-term consequences such as
diabetes, heart diseases and cancer.
"Unless governments take steps to regulate their economies, the
invisible hand of the market will continue to promote obesity
worldwide with disastrous consequences for future public health and
economic productivity," said Roberto De Vogli of the University of
California, Davis, in the United States, who led the study.
The WHO is urging governments to do more to try to prevent obesity
happening in the first place, rather than risking the high human and
economic costs when it does.
Suggested policies include economic incentives for growers to sell
healthy, fresh foods; disincentives for industries to sell
ultra-processed foods and soft drinks; cutting subsidies to growers
and companies who use large amounts of fertilizers, pesticides,
chemicals and antibiotics; and tighter regulation of fast-food
advertising, especially to children.
The research analyzed the effect on obesity of deregulation in the
economy over time, including in the agriculture and food sectors,
and the resulting increase in so-called fast-food transactions — in other words, the number of times people bought fast food.
The researchers compared the number of fast-food transactions with
body mass index (BMI) in 25 high-income countries between 1999 and
2008.
They found that, as the average number of annual fast-food
transactions increased from 26.61 to 32.76 per person, average BMI
increased from 25.8 to 26.4.
Someone with a BMI of 25 or more is overweight, while a BMI of 30 or
more is considered obese.
Vogli said that, while the research was based on data from wealthy
countries, its findings were also relevant to developing countries.
"Virtually all nations have undergone a process of market
deregulation and globalization — especially in the last three
decades," he said.
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The average number of fast-food transactions per person increased
in all 25 countries. The sharpest gains were in Canada, Australia,
Ireland and New Zealand, while the lowest were in countries with
more stringent market regulation — such as Italy, the Netherlands,
Greece and Belgium.
Francesco Branca, director of the WHO's Department of Nutrition
for Health and Development, said the findings showed how important
public policies were in addressing obesity.
"Policies targeting food and nutrition are needed across several
sectors including agriculture, industry, health, social welfare and
education," he said.
"Countries where the diet is transitioning from one that is high in
cereals to one that is high in fat, sugar and processed foods need
to take action to align the food supply with the health needs of the
population."
(Reporting by Kate Kelland; editing by
Kevin Liffey)
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