Obesity, inequality and diet-related deaths
Today’s sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy food intake are leading to a rapid rise in obesity and related diseases around the world. Every 1 in 4 adults and 1 in 5 children in the UK are clinically obese. The accessibility and affordability of non-nutritious food, often high in trans fats, saturated fat, sugar and salt, is adding to the disease burden. For example, healthy nutritious foods on average cost £10 for 1,000 calories compared to just £4.45 for 1,000 calories of unhealthy, obesogenic foods. This trend is leading to the widening of health inequality as individuals from poor households in deprived socioeconomic areas are twice as likely to be obese and eat 42% less fruits and vegetables than the recommended 5 portions of fruits and vegetables a day. In the UK in 2020, approximately 70,000 deaths were linked to inadequate consumption of nutritious plant-based foods and nearly 42,000 deaths were associated with overconsumption of dairy, red meat, and processed meat (meat that has undergone processes to enhance either flavour or shelf life)
The health case for plant-based diets
Excessive consumption of diets rich in red meat, especially processed, is associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, dementia and several cancers. The World Health Organization has classified both processed meat (group 1, which is in the same category as tobacco and asbestos) and red meat (group 2A) as carcinogens. For reference, the Eatwell Guide recommends limiting to 70 grams of red or processed meat a day which is roughly equivalent to ½ a patty of a burger or 1½ pork sausages.
Plant-based foods are low in saturated fat, do not contain cholesterol and are the only source of fibre, which is essential to reduce the risks of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and bowel cancer. Adults require 30 grams of fibre per day but on average only 20 grams of fibre per day is consumed in the UK. NHS England recommends promoting initiatives to increase dietary fibre.
There is growing evidence of the health benefits of plant-based meat alternatives as compared to the consumption of red meat and they are also becoming increasingly popular despite concerns about them being ultraprocessed. Studies have found several beneficial effects on cardiovascular health and no adverse effects from replacing plant-based meats with red meat in diets. There are also concerns about obtaining the required amounts of essential nutrients such as protein, calcium, iron, iodine and vitamin B12 when consuming plant-based food. However, the daily requirement for all of these can be achieved by incorporating a variety of nuts, legumes, whole grains, fruits and vegetables in the diet along with regular supplementation of vitamin B12 and ensuring consumption of fortified foods.
Antimicrobial resistance and the true cost of food systems
The overuse of antibiotics to control diseases in farm animals has resulted in growing antimicrobial resistance, which contributed to 4.95 million deaths globally in 2019. Antimicrobial resistance is a dangerous condition in which microbes stop responding to drugs making it difficult to treat infectious diseases and making surgical procedures riskier. The leakage of antimicrobials into the environment due to agricultural use is not only polluting but also multiplies the chance of developing resistance. Without effective reduction and sustained stewardship of antibiotics, vulnerable countries around the globe will bear the brunt of AMR, with an estimated 10 million annual deaths by 2050.
The hidden costs of the current food systems associated with health, environment and society are at least $10 trillion a year. The highest proportion of costs (70%) are due to unhealthy diets leading to obesity and related diseases and about 20% are associated with environmental changes.