Epidemiological and nutrition transition in developing countries: impact on human health and development

Abstract

Whereas common infectious and parasitic diseases such as malaria and the HIV/AIDS pandemic remain major unresolved health problems in many developing countries, emerging non-communicable diseases relating to diet and lifestyle have been increasing over the last two decades, thus creating a double burden of disease and impacting negatively on already over-stretched health services in these countries. Prevalence rates for type 2 diabetes mellitus and CVD in sub-Saharan Africa have seen a 10-fold increase in the last 20 years. In the Arab Gulf current prevalence rates are between 25 and 35 % for the adult population, whilst evidence of the metabolic syndrome is emerging in children and adolescents. The present review focuses on the concept of the epidemiological and nutritional transition. It looks at historical trends in socio-economic status and lifestyle and trends in nutrition-related non-communicable diseases over the last two decades, particularly in developing countries with rising income levels, as well as the other extreme of poverty, chronic hunger and coping strategies and metabolic adaptations in fetal life that predispose to non-communicable disease risk in later life. The role of preventable environmental risk factors for obesity and the metabolic syndrome in developing countries is emphasized and also these challenges are related to meeting the millennium development goals. The possible implications of these changing trends for human and economic development in poorly-resourced healthcare settings and the implications for nutrition training are also discussed.

Dietary and Activity Habits in Adolescents Living in the United Arab Emirates: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…This is associated with many risk factors later on in life including increased risk of having cardiovascular diseases and type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. Prevalence rates for type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases in the Arab Gulf are between 25 and 35% for the adult population, whilst evidence of the metabolic syndrome is emerging in children and adolescents [7]. According to the World Health Organization, a healthy diet and physical exercise are the two main factors in the prevention of chronic diseases such as hypertension or diabetes [40].…”

Mixed Method Approaches to Understanding Cancer-Related Dietary Risk Reduction among Public Housing Residents

“…4,5 Nutrition disparities are growing more complex, due in part to the worldwide nutrition transition. 6 Low-resource populations no longer suffer just from barriers of access to healthful foods but also from inability to control caloric intake and achieve healthful energy balance. These growing disparities in diet and energy imbalance will further exacerbate cancer disparities, thwarting efforts at global cancer control.…”

Reliability and relative validity of an FFQ for nutrients in the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study

“…The contribution of dietary factors to the development and prevention of non-communicable diseases is being increasingly recognized (1) . Epidemiological interest currently focuses on examining the association between disease and individual foods, food groups, food patterns, dietary nutrients or healthy eating indices (2)(3)(4)(5)(6) .…”