Dubai: The UAE on Tuesday launched a national nutrition strategy to help fight obesity and its related complications and may force fast food companies to inform people what exactly they are eating.
A combination of unhealthy eating and lack of exercise has given the UAE the dubious distinction of being the country with the second-highest incidence of diabetes in the world.
It is beaten only by Nauru, a tiny island nation in the Pacific Ocean.
An estimated 24 per cent of the UAE population over the age of 20 suffers from the debilitating disease.
The nutrition strategy will include teaching people what they need to eat to stay healthy, the need for daily exercise, and the importance of breastfeeding. The five-year strategy was advised by the World Health Organisation.
WHO nutrition conservation and promotion director Dr Haifa Ma'adi said: "People should have an informed choice on what they are eating."
She said fast food manufacturers in the US had recently been forced to list their foods' content.
Ministry of Health acting director general Dr Salem Al Darmaki, in launching the health programme, said UAE residents faced many health challenges.
The increase in non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure was due to improper nutrition and lack of physical activity.
Another senior ministry official said changes could not be brought about by regulations alone.
Health policies executive director Dr Mahmoud Fikri said: "We need to change the behaviour of the individual. Fast foods are available in every city of the world.
"We cannot change that. We have to catch people early in life." He said the programme would include educating children on what to eat, the importance of not missing breakfast and eating only a light meal at night.
WHO's regional nutrition adviser said it was important that people ate a balanced diet, with very little oil and only six grammes of salt a day. A high salt intake could lead to hypertension, he said.
WHO regional nutritional director Dr Ayoub Al Jawalda noted some of the challenges in the UAE included inadequate health and nutrition training to the communities, especially among mothers and schoolchildren.
- 24 per cent of people in UAE over 20 years of age suffer from diabetes
- 35 per cent of women are obese
- 31.6 per cent have hypertension
- 13 per cent of children in the UAE are overweight
- Women of child-bearing age will be advised to take Vitamin D, iron and iodine
What do you think is the reason behind this? What do you do to stay healthy? Is there an excuse for obesity?
