Waging war in the battle of the bulge

Date: 11/09/03

By Karen Carstens

SOME people say that they gain weight just by looking at a piece of cake.

While researchers have found that certain genetic traits may have some impact on whether we look like Twiggy or Roseanne Barr, unhealthy lifestyles including a lack of physical activity and poor eating habits are considered the main culprits behind the global obesity epidemic.

"If the obesity rate among European children continues to rise, the consequences are potentially catastrophic," David Byrne, the health and consumer protection commissioner, stated in a recent commentary.

"Average European Union life expectancy could fall, while health care spending could go through the roof."

The International Obesity Task Force estimates that between 2-8% of total health care costs in Western countries are already attributable to obesity. It is linked to a host of ailments from non-fatal complaints such as respiratory difficulties to deadly diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, strokes, heart disease and cancer.

Byrne emphasises that the EU's action programme on public health for 2003-2008 pledges to help prevent obesity by funding an EU-wide 'nutrition and physical network' "to facilitate collaboration on obesity prevention strategies".

But, he also admits, the EU cannot do that much to tackle the problem, given that health policy largely falls under the remit of member states and that the Commission is not exactly flush with funds for this sector.

However, one area in which the EU executive could, albeit indirectly, help fight obesity is food labelling.

In July, Byrne unveiled a Commission proposal that seeks to set up strict parameters for 'health claims' such as '90% fat free', which pleased consumer groups but received mixed reviews from the food industry and outright hostility from advertisers.

If approved by the European Parliament and member states, the new rules are expected to enter into force by late 2005.

While the Commission's financial hands may be somewhat tied on the health policy front, they certainly are not in the research and agricultural sectors, where some funds do flow to projects that could serve as ammunition in the battle of the bulge.

But many consumer and health groups argue more could be done.

The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), for instance, has a budget for the generic promotion of dairy produce and the subsidized sales of milk to schools and hospitals. But the European Heart Network recommends that such provisions "should be extended to the promotion of the foods that can be consumed plentifully in recommended diets, namely fruit, vegetables, cereal products, potatoes, fish, low-fat milk and other low-fat products".

General dietary guidelines issued by public bodies, meanwhile, are all similar.

According to a 2001 Commission campaign called Eurodiet, people should eat on average at least 400 grams of fruit and vegetables per day, while consuming less fat, particularly saturated fat, less salt and limiting sugary intakes.

The European Heart Network, however, argues that a total availability of 600 grams per person per day is needed to take into account the average of 30% of fruit and vegetables lost to spoilage, waste or destruction. Only six of the 15 current member states - Greece, Portugal, Italy, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands - make this amount available, states the Heart Network.

"In the wider Europe of 48 countries, only 12 meet the necessary supplies," it stated in a May 2002 report on food, nutrition and cardiovascular disease across Europe.

The World Health Organization (WHO) backs what the US government promotes under the 'five a day' slogan: a minimum recommended daily allowance of roughly five servings of fruit and vegetables, which the WHO says could reduce overall deaths from chronic diseases by up to 20%. Amid opposition from some elements within the food industry, the WHO published a report on diet, nutrition and the prevention of diseases in April. It recommends that no more than 30% of calories should come from fat, no more than 10% from sugar and salt should be reduced to a maximum daily intake for adults of five grammes.

So, if we all know what we 'should' be eating, why are so many of us failing to doing so?

Some blame the food industry, claiming it needs to pay more than just lip-service to producing and promoting healthier products.

A few corporate efforts have been made. In the US, some firms have pledged to reduce portion sizes. Then there is the fast food industry, where 'healthy' choices are popping up. In response to declining sales figures, McDonald's is peddling yoghurts, salads and veggie burgers.

Critics argue that clever advertising campaigns turn even children into die-hard converts for certain 'brand names'. They are trained to like fast food and eschew fruits and vegetables.

Meanwhile, obesity levels in Europe have been catching up with those in the US - where one in four citizens are obese and three out of five are overweight.

The UK leads the EU 'fat pack'. According to Philip James, president of the International Obesity Taskforce (IOTF), "all European countries are affected by the wave, but England has seen the fastest progression". In 20 years, cases of obesity have tripled. One adult in five is obese, as are 10% of children under the age of six and 17% of adolescents.

Based on these figures, the IOTF estimates that 75% of Britons could be overweight in the next ten to 15 years.

Elsewhere in the EU, the Germans and Finns need to shed a few pounds, as do Scottish, Belgian and Spanish women, according to IOTF statistics from 1999.