Uk to Lead A New Network to Take Global Action on Sugar and Calorie Reduction

AHA Publisher — Fri, 17 Sep 2021 07:00:31 +0000

GOV.UK via News-Medical – The UK has been chosen by the World Health Organization (WHO) to lead a new Sugar and Calorie Reduction Network to take global action on sugar and calorie reduction. Speaking at the WHO Regional Committee for Europe today (Monday 13 September), the Chief Medical Officer, Professor Chris Whitty announced the formation of the network, which will work with countries across Europe to reduce sugar and calorie intake. The WHO’s EU region covers around 50 countries, with a much wider reach than the European Commission’s remit. The UK has agreed to use its world-leading expertise in domestic sugar and calorie reduction to support its European neighbors. Work will take place with the food and drink industry to make their products healthier by reducing sugar content in products high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS), helping to tackle global rates of obesity. In a global market where food is increasingly supplied by the same international companies, collective action on reducing sugar and calories will galvanize the food industry to take greater and faster action. The network’s member states will share learning and technical expertise to encourage manufacturers to reformulate products by cutting the amount of sugar, and therefore calories, in food and drinks to ensure they are healthier. The network will support the UK government’s key existing commitments to the sugar and calorie reduction programmes and to take tackling obesity onto the global stage as part of its Tackling Obesity strategy, published last year. These programmes challenge the food industry across the UK to reduce the sugar and calorie in foods most commonly consumed by children. The UK has seen good progress with its sugar reduction programme – with sugar reduced by 13% in breakfast cereals, yogurts and fromage frais. The Department of Health and Social Care’s new Office for Health Improvement and Disparities – launching on October 1st – will lead national efforts to improve and level up the health of the nation by tackling obesity, helping improve mental health and promoting physical activity. Health and Social Care Secretary, Sajid Javid said: “It’s a testament to the success of our pioneering work in the UK to help people eat more healthily that we have been chosen to lead this programme. “We will work closely with our European partners to challenge the food industry to reduce sugar and calories in its products – reducing obesity, relieving pressure on health services and increasing our resilience to COVID-19 and any future pandemics.” Today’s announcement puts into action the UK’s ‘Global Britain’ ambitions, with the UK working with member states to drive forward collective action to influence both Europe and the world in tackling obesity. Evidence suggests that people living with obesity are at greater risk of being seriously ill and dying from COVID-19. By taking action to reduce sugar and calories in food and drink, the network will not only address rising rates of global obesity, but increase global resilience both to COVID-19 and future pandemics. Public Health Minister, Jo Churchill said: “Obesity is a global problem and we need to take urgent action to help people live healthier lives. This starts with the food and drink we consume and reducing the elements that are bad for our health. “Following strong action through our healthy weight strategy, I am delighted the UK will lead this international network to reformulate products and promote healthier food choices for people across Europe.” The WHO Sugar and Calorie Reduction Network will launch in spring 2022 and the WHO EU will be reaching out to member states inviting them to join. The WHO EU region covers around 50 countries, meaning that it extends beyond the European Commission’s framework for action and would have a much wider reach. To read the original article click here.

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Reducing Sugar in Packaged Foods Can Prevent Disease in Millions

AHA Publisher — Mon, 30 Aug 2021 07:00:38 +0000

Massachusetts General Hospital via Newswise – Cutting 20% of sugar from packaged foods and 40% from beverages could prevent 2.48 million cardiovascular disease events (such as strokes, heart attacks, cardiac arrests), 490,000 cardiovascular deaths, and 750,000 diabetes cases in the U.S. over the lifetime of the adult population, reports a study published in Circulation. A team of researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), the Friedman School of Nutrition Science & Policy at Tufts University, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOH) created a model to simulate and quantify the health, economic, and equity impacts of a pragmatic sugar-reduction policy proposed by the U.S. National Salt and Sugar Reduction Initiative (NSSRI). A partnership of more than 100 local, state and national health organizations convened by the NYC DOH, the NSSRI released draft sugar-reduction targets for packaged foods and beverages in 15 categories in 2018. This February, NSSRI finalized the policy with the goal of industry voluntarily committing to gradually reformulate their sugary products. Implementing a national policy, however, will require government support to monitor companies as they work toward the targets and to publicly report on their progress. The researchers hope their model will build consensus on the need for a national-sugar reformulation policy in the US. “We hope that this study will help push the reformulation initiative forward in the next few years,” says Siyi Shangguan, MD, MPH, lead author and attending physician at MGH. “Reducing the sugar content of commercially prepared foods and beverages will have a larger impact on the health of Americans than other initiatives to cut sugar, such as imposing a sugar tax, labeling added sugar content, or banning sugary drinks in schools.” Ten years after the NSSRI policy goes into effect, the U.S. could expect to save $4.28 billion in total net healthcare costs, and $118.04 billion over the lifetime of the current adult population (ages 35 to 79), according to the model. Adding the societal costs of lost productivity of Americans developing diseases from excessive sugar consumption, the total cost savings of the NSSRI policy rises to $160.88 billion over the adult population’s lifetime. These benefits are likely to be an underestimation since the calculations were conservative. The study also demonstrated that even partial industry compliance with the policy could generate significant health and economic gains. The researchers found that the NSSRI policy became cost-effective at six years and cost-saving at nine years. The policy could also reduce disparities, with the greatest estimated health gains among Black and Hispanic adults, and Americans with lower income and less education—populations that consume the most sugar as a historical consequence of inequitable systems. Product reformulation efforts have been shown to be successful in reducing other harmful nutrients, such as trans fats and sodium. The U.S., however, lags other countries in implementing strong sugar-reduction policies, with countries such as the UK, Norway, and Singapore taking the lead on sugar-reformulation efforts. The US may yet become a leader in protecting its people from the dangers of excessive sugar consumption if the NSSRI’s proposed sugar-reduction targets are achieved. “The NSSRI policy is by far the most carefully designed and comprehensive, yet achievable, sugar-reformulation initiative in the world,” says Shangguan. Consuming sugary foods and beverages is strongly linked to obesity and diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of mortality in the U.S. More than two in five American adults are obese, one in two have diabetes or prediabetes, and nearly one in two have cardiovascular disease, with those from lower-income groups being disproportionately burdened. “Sugar is one of the most obvious additives in the food supply to reduce to reasonable amounts,” says Dariush Mozaffarian, MD, DrPH, co-senior author and dean of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. “Our findings suggest it’s time to implement a national program with voluntary sugar reduction targets, which can generate major improvements in health, health disparities, and healthcare spending in less than a decade.” To read the original article click here.

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Uk to Lead A New Network to Take Global Action on Sugar and Calorie Reduction

Reducing Sugar in Packaged Foods Can Prevent Disease in Millions