From FAO Newsroom:
Close cooperation between health and agriculture sectors needed to address growing global burden of chronic diseases
23 April 2003, Rome — FAO and the World Health Organization (WHO) today launched an independent expert report on diet, which will serve as the basis for developing a global strategy to combat the growing burden of chronic diseases.
Diet, Nutrition and the Prevention of Chronic Diseases, the report on a two-year-long Joint FAO/WHO Expert Consultation, was formally issued by the heads of the two agencies, who called for close cooperation to help meet the challenge.
The expert report contains the best currently available scientific evidence on the relationship of diet, nutrition and physical activity to chronic diseases. The report examines cardiovascular diseases, several forms of cancer, diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis and dental disease.
The burden of chronic diseases is rapidly increasing; in 2001, they contributed approximately 59 percent of the 56.5 million total reported deaths in the world and 46 percent of the global burden of disease. The report concludes that a diet low in saturated fats, sugars and salt, and high in vegetables and fruits, together with regular physical activity, will have a major impact on combatting this high toll of death and disease.
