3.D. Workshop: Impact of nutrition on chronic diseases and environment in Europe: evidence and policy orientation
Authors:   Organised by: EUPHA-FN, EUPHA-CHR, WHO/Europe,   Chair persons: Iveta Nagyova (EUPHA), Carina Ferreira-Borges (WHO/Europe)
Published: October 2021

Abstract

Over the last decades, unhealthy nutrition has gained visibility as a major driver of the burden of non-communicable chronic diseases (NCDs). The spread of unhealthy foods, characterized by energy-dense, nutrient-poor features, has been called out as mostly responsible for the rise in global and European obesity rates, greatly affecting the younger generations. Public health organizations face major issues in communicating to the target populations, while the general audience is constantly exposed to a substantially obesogenic environment. Moreover, recent scientific literature suggests dietary risks represent the most important behavioral risk factors to impact NCDs. There is convincing evidence that dietary risks are associated with higher risk of cardio-metabolic diseases and certain cancer, which are the main cause of death in Europe. Moreover, certain evidence on under-consumed food groups or nutrients is yet rather underrated and poorly considered from a public health point of view, although leading to a substantial increased risk of disease. Besides the aforementioned health concerns, diet quality may influence food systems and the environment, along with sustainability concerns on the long-term projections. Gathered together, these data emphasize how dietary and nutritional concerns represent a public health issue of gigantic proportion, affecting directly or indirectly the quality of life and mortality rates of European citizens. It is of paramount importance to address this public health issue, to corroborate current evidence of the role of nutrition on health and the environment, and to translate such evidence into advocacy and policy orientation. In this context, the EUPHA Food and Nutrition Section, the Chronic Diseases Section, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), aim to propose a joint workshop to provide an overview of the impact of nutritional risk factors on obesity and NCDs in Europe, to identify current communication strategies to counteract the burden of disease, to evaluate the environmental impact of the diet, to emphasize on current knowledge and underrated dietary risks, and finally to sum up some work already done at policy level. The organization of this workshop is will provide an important occasion for gathering experts working on this topic of interest and facilitate a dialogue with the audience in light of the presented results. Given the many actors involved, the workshop will provide a unique occasion to discuss about potential policy approaches in the context of the conference. The summary findings from this workshop would help building up common European guidelines for a healthy nutrition.

Key messages
There is convincing evidence that nutritional guidance toward a healthier diet may reduce the impact of chronic non-communicable diseases. Governmental and non-governmental efforts are needed to advocate for healthier diets in Europe.