NUTRITIONAL PROBLEMS OF WESTERN COUNTRIES
Global food production is sufficient to satisfy the needs of all the Earth's inhabitants. However, large differences exist in consumption between developed countries and developing countries.
Overfeeding, a characteristic feature of developed countries, is clearly related to increased cardiovascular disease, obesity, decay, tumours, etc. associated with health problems derived from a change in eating habits or "eating disorders" (anorexia, bulimia, etc.). These conditions have been termed as "diseases of abundance societies".
A. Cardiovascular diseases
Atherosclerosis refers to the deposition/accumulation of lipids (mainly cholesterol) on vessel walls, calcifying, hardening and decreasing the diameter of the affected vessel overtime. This results in reduced blood flow, which can cause the death (necrosis) of the affected tissue.
In European countries, cardiovascular diseases account for 50% of total mortality. 50% of cardiovascular pathology is caused by coronary diseases (angina pectoris, myocardial infarction) or cerebrovascular diseases (thrombosis, embolism and brain haemorrhages).
The incidence of cardiovascular diseases has been clearly associated with the amount and type of fat and the levels of cholesterol supplied in the diet. Saturated fat, especially of animal origin, alters lipid metabolism in the liver. This causes the levels of total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol to rise ("bad" cholesterol), and to change into a structure of small and dense particles or plain cholesterol. It has been unanimously agreed that a reduction in the consumption of saturated fats reduces the levels of total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol.
Control of hypertension (which represents an added risk to suffer from cardiovascular disease) through the adoption of adequate diet measures includes a reduction in body weight, a reduction in the intake of sodium, and a reduction in the excessive consumption of alcohol.
A preventive diet against cardiovascular disease should focus on the consumption of cereals, legumes, fruits and vegetables, low-fat foods, and increased consumption of fish, with reduced consumption of products that are rich in saturated animal fat.
B. Neoplasias
Breast, colon and prostate cancer are the most common types of cancer in developed countries. Risk to develop these neoplasias is related to high consumption of calories of saturated animal origin. Other neoplasias associated with the diet include oral cavity neoplasia, GI tract, pancreas, lung, larynge, cervix, ovary and bladder neoplasia.
Diets that are rich in fresh fruit and vegetables confer protection against a variety of these tumours. Different mechanisms associated with the protective effect of these foods are their high content in substances with antitumoral properties (vitamins C, E and A, sterol fibers, and selenium among others) and that such intake of fruits and vegetables induces reduced intake of fats and proteins.
C. Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Type 2 diabetes mellitus is characterised by chronically elevated levels of blood glucose and is on most cases associated with obesity and overweight problems. It represents 80% of diabetes cases in the population.
An increase in diabetes cases has been identified in developed countries, coinciding with modernisation of life styles. Worth pointing out is the low prevalence of diabetes in certain autochthonous populations in their natural setting (Indians, aborigines and Eskimos) whom, when they become "Westernised", meaning, when they adopt Western life styles, reach incidence rates of around 40%.
Any type of diabetes follows a course that is conditioned by diet habits. The intake of vegetables and fiber produces enhanced control of glucose levels, besides reducing the incidence of overweight and obesity.
D. Obesity
Obesity is a health problem for Western countries in which it is on the borderline of reaching epidemic proportions.
Obesity, irrespectively of genetic factors, develops as a result of the excessive intake of calories and decreased physical activity. Food variety, the high caloric content of foods available at developed societies (sugar, fat and alcohol) give rise to diets that are extremely high in calories (hypercaloric diets).
Obesity is a risk factor for the development of diabetes, hypertension, elevated levels of cholesterol and triglycerides, gout, gall bladder disease, arthrosis, cardiovascular disease and some types of tumour, as well as decreased life expectancy.
Adequate nutrition and proper nutritional education in children and adolescents placing high emphasis on consumption of large amounts of vegetables, fruits, cereal and legumes and low consumption of simple carbohydrates and fat is essential to prevent obesity in children (of increasing prevalence in our society) and thus, in the prevention of obese adults.
Getting on an adequate hypocaloric diet in order to achieve a moderate weight reduction, results in a substantial decrease in obesity-related diseases and mortality.
E. Skeletal diseases
Bone demineralisation (either as osteopenia or as osteoporosis) makes the bone more fragile and prone to fractures.
Besides a certain familial predisposition and age (most frequent in postmenopausal women due to decreased oestrogen levels), the incidence of osteoporosis has been associated with low consumption of calcium and phosphorous as well as vitamin D, and a high consumption of proteins and total calories.
Adequate consumption of products rich in calcium, phosphorous and vitamin D, as well as reduced consumption of alcohol and tobacco, and the routine practice of physical exercise appear to be factors that might reduce the incidence of osteoporosis.
F. Bucal/oral disease (dental decay)
Dental decay is the most common disease in Western countries, affecting up to 80% of school-age children.
Bacterial fermentation of sugars present in foods produces several acids that cause progressive demineralisation of the dental enamel. The frequent consumption of sugars (especially sacarose or common sugar) favours the formation of dental plaque, an element that predisposes towards the development of decay and periodontal diseases (in the gums).
Reduced intake of simple sugars, fluoridation of the water, and better and improved oral hygiene starting in infancy are of vital importance in the prevention of dental decay.
G. Eating disorders (altered eating patterns)
The incidence of eating disorders (bulimia, anorexia, compulsive eating) has increased in recent years in Western countries. Even though the prevalence of these conditions varies from country to country, they are believed to affect between 1 to 4% of young women (with bulimia being the most frequent condition), with 5-10 % of the total number of cases involving men (with increasing incidence).
Besides individual (psychological, genetic and biological factors) and familial factors, the high and growing rates might be affected by socio-cultural factors. In today's society, the prevailing tendencies are beauty, aesthetics and worship to the body. Thinness is associated with success and the bombardment imposed by the media on aesthetic and physical ideas give rise to the search for a formally acceptable thinness standard.