OBESITY AND MALNUTRITION: THE PARADOX OF FOOD FOR OUR CHILDREN

In higher income countries countries, a large number of deaths in adulthood are linked to problems that result from overeating and bad eating habits, and the consequent lifestyle, in many cases, stems from an early age. In developing countries, in contrast, there is child malnutrition and undernourishment, which can have a significant impact throughout adulthood. In emerging countries such as China and Brazil, there is the troubling spread of extreme events, because on the one hand, food patterns that lead to obesity are being followed by part of the population, while, on the other hand, situations of undernourishment/malnutrition continue. It is therefore important to pay attention – from early childhood, in Western countries, as well as in all the developing/emerging countries – to the adoption of appropriate eating behavior in terms of healthy daily eating habits and lifestyles.

This paper ideally concludes a process started by the Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition with the position papers Food and Health in 2009 and Healthy Growth and Nutrition in Children in 2010. The reason this document was prepared stems from the desire to understand and to propagate the extensive scientific knowledge available today regarding the link between proper nutrition, lifestyle and longevity, where by longevity the Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition means “a long life in good health.”

Today more than ever, nutrition appears to be a testing ground where differences and inequalities between the North and South of the world measure against each other, in particular with reg...

Investing in prevention of disease will not only enhance the quality of life (and increase lifespan), but also reduce national healthcare costs, which take hundreds of euros from each citizen every year.  In recent years, prevention of disease is gaining importance and focus.  With extension in life expectancy and the development of the so-called “diseases of affluence” (including obesity and cardiovascular disease), the costs for national healthcare represent an increasing burden on society. In Italy, over 40 billion euros are spent each year for the treatment of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer: almost 700 euros per person.