This number corresponds to about 10% of deaths among people aged between 30 and 69 recorded in 2019, the year highlighted for the analysis.
Study conducted by researchers from the University of São Paulo (USP) and the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) shows that premature deaths related to the consumption of ultra-processed foods reach 57 thousand per year in Brazil. This corresponds to around 10% of the deaths of people aged between 30 and 69 recorded in 2019, the year highlighted for the analysis.
As alternatives to change this reality, experts stress the importance of working on public policies to make healthy foods more accessible to the population. They also recommend that consumers prioritize organic food and review the nutrition facts on the package before purchasing the food.
A month ago, the new food labeling came into force in the country, to identify products with a high content of added sugars, saturated fats and sodium.
The results, which were released on Monday 7, in an article published on American Journal of Preventive Medicine, indicate that 57,000 of the deaths in 2019 are attributable to the consumption of ultra-processed foods. The number corresponds to 10.5% of the total deaths of people aged between 30 and 69 that occurred that year (541.3 thousand) and 21.8% of the victims of the so-called chronic non-communicable diseases (261.1 thousand) .
Among the deaths related to poor nutrition, those due heart attack And stroke (stroke), explains researcher from the Nucleus of Epidemiological Research in Nutrition and Health of the University of São Paulo Eduardo Nilson, who led the study.
This is because, he explains, they are directly linked to problems such as hypertension. “But there is also the problem of diabetes, obesity, chronic kidney disease,” she exemplifies.
The results of the study are the result of an in-depth analysis, conducted over the course of the year, of the information from the past year. pre-pandemic. The period was chosen for the robustness of the data for modeling, but the researchers’ assessment is that a similar or even worse pattern must have been maintained in subsequent years.
“The risk itself does not change over time, what will change is what we call exposure, which is how much that risk factor is affecting the population,” explains Nilson. “This will be represented by the amount of ultra-processed foods that are consumed and we know that consumption has increased over the past few decades.”
Changes in the Brazilian diet
According to recent studies, in recent years ultra-processed foods have gained space on the Brazilian table. They came to account for around 24% of the calories consumed by Brazilians. About 30 years ago they were less than half: they only had a 10% caloric share.
The index is better than that of countries like United States, England And Canada, where such foods can account for up to 60 percent of calories, but Nilson warns that changes in recent decades have attracted attention. “There is a trend towards an increase in the consumption of ultra-processed foods, also because there is a lot of publicity, a greater availability of these foods,” he says.
He points out that, in addition to being available in many places, another point is that the price of natural and minimally processed foods is on the rise and that of ultra-processed foods is decreasing. “This also greatly influences the issue of consumer access, especially in a recession scenario, which we have had for some years”.
For the researcher, the results of the study, supported by ACT Health Promotion, place the growing consumption of ultra-processed foods as a public health problem in the country. “One of the analyzes we did in the article is that if we went back to what we had of overprocessed (in foods) 10 years ago, we would already reduce these attributed deaths by 20%. It shows that the impact of the reduction is large and necessary “.
Measures taken to change this scenario
To keep the population informed about the food they consume, a new food labeling came into effect in Brazil on 9 October. In addition to the changes to the information table – such as the obligation to declare the amount of total and added sugars, the energy value and the nutrients -, a novelty was the adoption of frontal nutrition labeling.
Products launched after the change are already subject to the new rules, but those already on the market will take a little longer to implement the change. For Maria Edna de Melo, president of the Obesity Department of the Brazilian Society of Endocrinology and Metabology (SBEM), the measure is welcome, but it should be worked on alongside other initiatives.
According to Maria Edna, industrialization has played an important role in increasing the amount of food available to the population. “But now we have a problem, which is quality,” she warns, calling for the creation of more subsidies to reduce the price of healthy products for the final consumer.
In Brazil, Nilson points out that school nutrition already adopts the recommendations of the Food Guide for the Brazilian population, which is a guiding document for healthy eating in the country. But he demands that this type of policy be adopted in other sectors as well. “It can also go through overhauling basic food baskets, bringing more green baskets, bonding with family farming. It’s a multiple of alternatives that must complement each other.”
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Source: Terra
Benjamin Smith is a fashion journalist and author at Gossipify, known for his coverage of the latest fashion trends and industry insights. He writes about clothing, shoes, accessories, and runway shows, providing in-depth analysis and unique perspectives. He’s respected for his ability to spot emerging designers and trends, and for providing practical fashion advice to readers.
