Highly Processed Foods Warning
“Your food is supposed to be your medicine and your medicine is supposed to be your food.” African Proverb This has been recognised in the Zambia Food-Based Dietary Guidelines that claim, “Evidence suggests most Zambians do not base their diets on diverse foods. The diet of most Zambians is monotonous, mostly dominated by maize-based foods […]
Jordan Publishes Its National Nutrition Strategy
The Kingdom of Jordan’s 2023- 2030 National Nutrition Strategy indicates a high level of diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs), in addition to an increased prevalence of overweight and obesity across all age groups in the country. Findings suggest the country’s nutrition transition towards a diet higher in energy dense, highly-processed foods and beverages, and lower in […]
Type 2 Diet Study
A low carbohydrate nutrition program delivered online has been shown to significantly improve blood sugar control in adults with T2D. The findings from the ‘T2Diet Study’ conducted at Deakin University, Geelong, Australia, are significant as they demonstrate web-based dietary education can support people with type 2 diabetes, alongside standard care, and provide options for people living […]
Social Prescribing Gaining Ground
Social prescribing is an approach that connects people to activities, groups, and services in their community to meet the practical, social and emotional needs that affect their health and wellbeing, including healthy food. Following pilot schemes in the UK some U.S. health care providers have been experimenting with the idea. Under “food is medicine” programs, free, […]
Surge in T2D in Rural India
Rural India is grappling with a surge in type 2 diabetes (T2D) that signals a significant shift in lifestyles and dietary habits among the population. The rise of T2D reflects the transition from traditional, physically active lifestyles to more sedentary ones, often accompanied by diets high in processed foods, unhealthy fats, and refined sugars. Data […]
Pan American Ministers Agree NCD Policy
Ministers and health authorities in the ‘Region of the Americas’ have agreed to promote a series of interventions targeted at children, adolescents, and young adults aimed at preventing the development of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) including diabetes – the leading causes of ill health, disability, and death in the Region. Agreement was reached at the 60th […]
One Size Does Not Fit All
A Chinese University of Hong Kong study, led by former Hong Kong health Minister, Professor Yeoh Eng-Kiong, calls for different approaches to different groups to improve the health of ethnic minority groups, and the poor. The study found higher levels of obesity and related health problems among Hong Kong’s South Asian community and is calling […]
Right to Health and Food
A United Nations report on tackling inequities in food, nutrition and health outcomes, recommends a rights-based approach. The report by the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health, Dr Tlaleng Mofokeng, concluded that “The intersection of the right to health and right to food is central to achieving substantive equality and realising sustainable development, […]
Food Labelling Success
The US ‘Center for Science in the Public Interest’ is celebrating the introduction of a bill to increase transparency and promote healthy choices through food labels. CAPTION: The Bill will help people manage dozens of medicall conditions such as those who need to be Gluten-free. The Food Labelling Modernization Act 2023 (FLMA) was introduced by Representatives […]
Uganda Symposium
A month earlier, in February, Uganda’s Ministry of Health, with support from the World Health Organization (WHO) organised a nutrition symposium in Kampala, focusing on the systems approach for improving nutrition service delivery and outcomes in Uganda. Experiences were shared by nutrition stakeholders with reports on research findings, innovations, and lessons learned from projects. The […]
South Africa Hosts Nutrition Congress
For the first time since the Covid pandemic disruptions, nutrition and dietetic health professionals from Africa and further afield gathered in person for the 2023 Nutrition Congress. Held in West Somerset, Western Cape, the 3-day event was co-hosted by NSSA (Nutrition Society of South Africa) and ADSA (Association for Dietetics in South Africa). At the […]
Study Recommends High Fibre Diets
In a response to the triple-burden of pre-diabetes, diabetes and obesity, diabetologists in India are promoting a high-fibre diet for people with or at risk of diabetes. It is believed that changing nutritional habits have contributed to the rise in obesity and diabetes with a lower intake of fibre and an excess consumption of calories, […]
Parliamentary Friends of Nutrition Group Formed
A Parliamentary Group has been formed in the Australian Parliament to raise awareness of the importance of nutrition for a healthy life, and to highlight the areas of most need for equity, improved access and affordability to high-quality nutrition. The group is Co-Chaired by Senator Helen Polley (Labor) and Bridget Archer MP (Liberal), who have […]
Benefits of Fibre in Preventing Type 2 Diabetes
Dietary fibre, also known as roughage, is the indigestible part of plant foods. Fibre has a host of health benefits, including reducing the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Fibre is mostly in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes. There are two types of fibre — soluble and insoluble — and both play important […]
Drink Labelling Takes Step Forward in Singapore
Drinks outlets in Singapore must label beverages high in sugar, saturated fat on their menus by the end of next year. Beverage labelling is part of the country’s efforts to influence consumers diet and sugar intake as part of the government’s war on diabetes. Advocacy Action: Could drink labelling help the fight against obesity and […]
More Nutrition News: Food Labelling in Canada
Canada is to put warning labels on unhealthy food products. Manufacturers will have three years to prepare for the changes, with the rules set to come into force at the start of 2026. Companies will be required to add nutrition warnings to the front of pre-packaged food with high levels of saturated fat, sugar or […]
Nutrition News: Could More Protein in a Diet reverse Type 2 Diabetes?
India’s largest ongoing diabetes study has opened up a formula to reverse or slow down the onset of diabetes. The focus in diabetes care has shifted from mere medication to its reversal. Doctors working on the study have suggested that in order to achieve this goal, a person’s diet needs proteins to make up to […]
Nearly 7 out of 10 Fijians are Overweight
CAPTION: Minister, Dr Devina Nand, addressing residents about healthy eating. PHOTO CREDIT: Fiji Times. The Fijian Health Ministry head of wellness, Dr Devina Nand, says almost 67 percent of Fiji’s population is overweight – increasing the risk of diabetes and non-communicable diseases. She also said 80 percent were not eating enough fruit and vegetables and […]
More News from Around the World: Support for Indigenous Populations
As part of a wider package of support for minority groups the Canadian Government has announced it will give the University of Saskatchewan CAN $849,753 to design culturally appropriate and comprehensive school food programs that are integrated into school curriculums. These food programs will promote healthy eating and can be implemented within Indigenous communities in the province. The […]
Diabetes and the Cost-of-Living Crisis
Rising food costs are threatening the health of millions of people around the world. For people with diabetes, whose management of the condition is crucial, their ability to do so is being compromised by rising food prices. This will in time could lead to complications requiring expensive medical interventions. Global food inflation is monitored by […]
Nutrition News: Call For Mandatory Labelling of Foods
The linking of poor nutrition to chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases is well documented. According to Siphiwe Dlamini, a post-doctoral research fellow at the University of the Witwatersrand, writing in ‘The Conversation’, these diseases are likely to become increasingly prevalent in developing countries like South Africa due to rapid and often […]
Nutrition News: Low Carb Diet Recommended
Diabetes featured during India’s ‘National Nutrition Week’ with the advice that a low carb diet is a key to maintaining a healthy blood sugar balance that reduces the risk of expensive and life changing complications. https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/health/national-nutrition-week-low-carb-diet-to-manage-diabetes-7486285/
Simple Solution to Malnutrition
Malayasian Member of Parliament, Dr Azman Ismail MP, has raised the issue of malnutrition and linked it to a rise in noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) claiming there is a simple solution. “This doesn’t require huge funds and you don’t need rocket science to go back to our traditional diets” he said when debating the Supply Bill […]
Green Tea & Coffee Can Save Lives
A new study has found that drinking green tea can be a lifesaver, especially for people with diabetics. The study reveals that drinking four or more cups of green tea along with two cups of coffee (or more) can lower the risk of death among people with the condition by 63 percent. The study also […]
UK Told Tax Sugar and Salt – Prescribe Veg
Sugar and salt should be taxed and vegetables prescribed by the NHS, an independent review of the food we eat has suggested. The report, led by businessman Henry Dimbleby, said taxes raised could extend free school meal provision and support better diets among the poorest. England’s National Food Strategy (Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have devolved […]
Nutrition News
Healthy Food Beyond the Purse of South African Families Healthy food is too expensive for many South African families increasing the risks of poor health from non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cancers, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, high blood pressure, chronic respiratory diseases and obesity. These account for over half (51 percent) of all death in South […]
Indian-Food Tips
With a high prevalence of type 2 diabetes among South Asians, food tips to help people with or to prevent the condition could prove helpful.
COVID Sweet Tooth Danger
According to a study of Google searches in the Philippines, people have literally been craving a sweet escape from the lockdown blues. Since the start of the pandemic, e-commerce aggregator iPrice reported that the country’s interest in chocolates and other confections has rocketed. The study recorded the monthly average of Google searches for chocolate treats […]
Benefits of Soybeans in Type 2 Prevention
A leading nutrition expert has urged Nigerians to explore soybeans as a good food source, to alleviate malnutrition and achieve good health. Professor Ibiyemi Olayiwola, Professor of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), described soybeans as an excellent source of protein, with the added advantage of being affordable. She noted that […]
Research Corner
Much of the research and studies make for grim reading with the implications for people and health care systems severe. All the more important to seek allies who can share and add force to your advocacy to seek improvements to prevention, encourage early diagnosis, and the best treatments. Effects of Physical Activity on Type 2 […]
Type 2 Breakthrough Treatment
A “breakthrough” treatment plan for type-2 diabetes has been reported in the British press suggesting that the UK National Health Service (NHS) is keen to adopt a new standard of treatment. The course of treatment consists of a liquid diet of 800 calories to be taken as a soup or shake daily for a period […]
Watching Out for Diabetes!
National Health Service (NHS) England is planning to roll-out a device worn on the wrist to thousands of people who are considered to be at risk of developing type 2 diabetes. It is part of its Diabetes Prevention Programme (DPP), launched in 2016 in partnership with Public Health England (PHE) and the patient group organisation […]
Prevention – Saves Lives and Money
When multiple risk factors are tacked the risk of diabetes plummets by 75 per cent. That’s the conclusions of a study by a Chinese University Medical College. Healthy behaviours — such as physical activity, eating a balanced diet, and reducing alcohol intake — are well-established as key to type 2 diabetes prevention, but a new meta-analysis shows […]
Diabetes Epidemic in Asia
A survey conducted by Sun Life Financial among nearly 4,000 residents aged 25 and above from Hong Kong, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines identified that more and more people from Asia are being diagnosed with the diabetes and fastest rate of growth was found in the Philippines. Out of a population of 100 million […]
Global Health Inequalities Persist
The OECD together with the European Commission has published a report showing the persistence of health inequalities and the prevalence of obesity that is continuing to increase across the globe. The report contains nutrition profiles, which capture the status of nutrition at country, regional and global levels. The country profiles aggregate the very latest data […]