Ecological determinants of health: food and environment on human health

Abstract

Human health and diseases are determined by many complex factors. Health threats from the human-animal-ecosystems interface (HAEI) and zoonotic diseases (zoonoses) impose an increasing risk continuously to public health, from those emerging pathogens transmitted through contact with animals, food, water and contaminated environments. Immense challenges forced on the ecological perspectives on food and the eco-environments, including aquaculture, agriculture and the entire food systems. Impacts of food and eco-environments on human health will be examined amongst the importance of human interventions for intended purposes in lowering the adverse effects on the biodiversity. The complexity of relevant conditions defined as factors contributing to the ecological determinants of health will be illuminated from different perspectives based on concepts, citations, examples and models, in conjunction with harmful consequential effects of human-induced disturbances to our environments and food systems, together with the burdens from ecosystem disruption, environmental hazards and loss of ecosystem functions. The eco-health literacy should be further promoting under the "One Health" vision, with "One World" concept under Ecological Public Health Model for sustaining our environments and the planet earth for all beings, which is coincidentally echoing Confucian's theory for the environmental ethics of ecological harmony.

Health Promotion of Sustainable Diets: Key for Obesity Epidemic and Environmental Sustainability

“…For example, the landfill problems with food wastes in Hong Kong were over 800 tones per day in 2012 [1]. In fact, FAO concluded that about one third of the food produced in the world for human consumption (around 1.3 billion tones) gets lost or wasted every year [29].…”

“…From the perspective of old public health to new public health model, and now expanded to the current ecological public health model that aims to improve ecological sustainability by creating conditions with broader perspective and multi-dimensional view on preventing diseases by addressing the root causes of disease [1]. UNESCO stated that a sustainable future with the holistic view of health will be populated by healthy people, living in healthy communities, within the resource opportunities and limits of healthy natural environments, as they are inextricably linked at global scales [13].…”

“…With increasing knowledge and understandings on sustainable diets as a driver of sustainable food systems, because health and environmental problems associated with the food systems are highly interconnected, and therefore, a holistic ecological public health perspective as the synergistic solutions are required for enhancing amongst humans, animals and the planetary health [1,9,14,37]. This rising challenge of changing patterns of food consumption on the scale needed to have an impact at the global level is a complex task, and believed what is good for public health is often good for the environment and subsequently suggested life-style behaviour can be influenced through many different approaches for encouraging healthy and sustainable diets, as the current global dietary trends are a problem from both ecological public health and sustainability perspective [3].…”

“…Human health and diseases are determined by a range of many complex factors, including behavioural, biological, genetic predisposition, socio-economic, psycho-social, environmental opportunities, as well as immense challenges forced on the ecological perspectives on food and the eco-environments, including aquaculture, agriculture and the entire food systems [1]. As the World Health Organization (the WHO) reported more than 1.9 billion adults were overweight globally [2,3], the dietrelated obesity health issues, together with obesity-related noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) also come at great cost to global community and are arising in line with the current dietary trends from food production systems, which are further implied harms to our health and the environment [3].…”

Circadian toxicity of environmental pollution. Inhalation of polluted air to give a precedent

“…Exposure to environmental light [1 •• ], air [2], water [5], and food [6] pollution are a major health concern and with intensified industrialization and urbanization [7], its disease burden is likely to increase in the future. For instance, both, exposure to polluted air as well as changes in the day/night cycle have been described to increase the susceptibility for cardiovascular and metabolic injury.…”