Fruit and vegetables and prevention of Chronic Disease

1
Fruit and vegetables and prevention of Chronic
Disease

• Different Strategies in the Fight against Obesity
• Health and Consumer Intergroup
• 23 April Strasbourg
• Robert Pederson
• Danish Cancer Society

2
Chronic Non-Communicable Disease (CNCD)

• CNCD are currently one of the greatest threats to
  public health in EU (Daar et al. 2007)
• Cancer, Heart Disease stroke and Diabetes are
  major causes of premature death in EU
• Obesity is reaching epidemic levels, and rates
  increasing in children and adolescents
• Social Inequality both within MS and between new
  and old member states
• Social and economic costs are staggering

3
Causes of Chronic Disease

• Main Chronic Diseases
• Cancer
• Heart Disease
• Stroke
• Chronic Respiratory Diseases
• Diabetes

• Individual-specific Modifiable Risk Factors
• Unhealthy Diet
• Physical Activity
• Tobacco Use

• Socioeconomic, Cultural, and Environmental
  Determinants
• Urbanization
• Population Aging
• Globalisation

• Biochemical/
• Physiological Risk Factors
• Raised Blood Pressure
• Raised Blood Glucose
• Abnormal Blood Lipids
• Overweight/Obesity

• Individual-specific Non-Modifiable Risk Factors
• Age
• Heredity

4
Strategy for preventing CNDC Increasing FV
consumption

• Reducing energy density of diets, high fiber
  foods, fruit and vegetables (WHO 2004)
• Dietary Quality becoming more important Balance
  between macronutrients and micronutrients (WCRF,
  2007)
• Convincing evidence that increased fruit and
  vegetable consumption reduces rate of CVD, some
  cancers and stroke
• Increasing fruit and vegetable consumption a
  double whammy (James, 2007)

5
FV consumption in the EU

• Less than 50 of EU citizens reaching
  recommended FV intake (Lock, 2005)
• Less than 20 of all children in 9 European
  countries reached the recommended level of 400 g
  daily
• Inequality in FV consumption between and within
  MS
• Food Supply statistics show stagnation or
  possible decreases in FV consumption in Europe
  (Freshfel 2007)
• Increasing FV consumption would reduce premature
  death in Europe substantially

6
Effective interventions

• Settings based interventions to increase
  population FV consumption
• Availability and accessibility of FV primary are
  the primary determinants of FV consumption
• Obesogenic school eating environments
• School fruit and vegetable programs are among the
  most effective interventions (DeSa Lock, 2007)
• Norwegian cost-effectiveness study Even small
  increases in lifelong FV consumption are cost
  effective in terms of disease prevention
  (Sælensminde, 2006)

7
A step in the right direction, but

• School Food and Nutrition Policy from obesogenic
  to healthy school eating environments- competing
  with competitive foods or regulation?
• Regulation on marketing of unhealthy foods to
  children and adolescents both in school and
  outside school
• Increased physical activity and decreased
  physical inactivity

8
Thank you!