The Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA) has today released a new report – A Future for Food – which calls for a complete overhaul of food policy in Australia in order to more effectively address the national priorities of chronic disease prevention, climate change and social inequality.
According to Michael Moore, CEO of the PHAA “Food is a critical issue across public health, the environment, social policy and the economy – and yet we have a fragmented approach. It is imperative we act now to establish a national, integrated whole-of-government food policy.” “We have a food supply skewed to inappropriate and overly processed foods that are high in sugar, fat and salt; there is inadequate understanding of the environmental impacts of food choices; and we have people struggling to afford healthy food to feed their families.” “We cannot afford to continue to do business as usual. And with the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) currently reviewing dietary recommendations in this country, it is imperative we act now,” said Michael Moore.
A Future for Food: Addressing public health, sustainability and equity from paddock to plate, states that the selection of foods for Australian guidelines has been largely based on nutrition science, which emphasises the adequacy of specific nutrients rather than whole foods. “But we eat food not nutrients,” said Mr Moore.
The PHAA is concerned that current guidelines offer inadequate consideration of: the chronic disease risk of certain foods despite their capacity to provide adequate nutrients; the environmental impact of those food choices; and cultural and equity issues – including at the very minimum affordability for all Australians.
“In reviewing the research on chronic disease, environmental sustainability and social equity, we believe it is imperative that food recommendations have a stronger emphasis on whole, or minimally processed, and plant-based foods,” said Michael Moore. In addition to calling on the government to establish a national integrated food policy, the PHAA is calling on the NHMRC to address these issues in its current review. “We want public health and food professionals, food industry and consumers to join our call for action at phaa.net.au. We must work together and act now,” said Mr Moore.
Contact: Michael Moore CEO PHAA 0417 249 731
For more information and a .pdf copy of A Future for Food visit www.phaa.net.au
The Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA) is a non-party-political organisation with a membership drawn from more than 40 health-related professions. The Association makes a major contribution to health policy in Australia and has branches in every State and Territory. www.phaa.net.au.
A Future for Food is an initiative of the PHAA, developed with specific input and guidance from the PHAA Food and Nutrition Special Interest Group, presentations at the Population Health Congress held in July 2008 and the PHAA Nutrition Round Table held in June 2008. It was made possible by an unencumbered educational grant from the Sanitarium Health Food Company.
www.phaa.net.au
Showing posts with label fat foods and fast foods. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fat foods and fast foods. Show all posts
Monday, February 2, 2009
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Ontario's Doctors Applaud Move to Reduce Junk Food in Schools
Ontario's doctors support the action taken by theprovincial government today to remove trans-fats and junk food from schools.In 2005, The Ontario Medical Association (OMA) called for a restriction onnutrient-poor foods for students while under the care of school boards inorder to help curb the rate of childhood obesity. Doctors have also beencalling on the provincial government to mandate one hour per day of structuredaerobic physical activity and exercise for elementary and secondary schoolstudents in order to help reverse this dangerous trend.
"The evidence is clear, obesity rates in children can be siginificantlydecreased with appropriate physical activity and healthy food options," said Dr. Janice Willett, President of the OMA. "It is essential that school be ahealthy environment for children, where they can experience healthy behavioursthat will continue into adulthood."
The OMA report, An Ounce of Prevention or a Ton of Trouble: Is there anepidemic of obesity in children? showed that from 1981 to 1996, the proportionof overweight boys increased from 15 to 28.8 per cent and overweight girlsfrom 15 to 23.6 per cent. The report also highlighted the severe andpotentially life-threatening consequences of obesity. Obese children face anincreased risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes,breathing problems (such as obstructive sleep apnea) and orthopediccomplications.
"The provincial government has shown that health prevention is a priorityand tackling junk food in schools shows they are committed to improving thehealth of our children," said Dr. Willett. "This action, in combination withmore physical activity and public education, will help address this growingpublic health issue."
"The evidence is clear, obesity rates in children can be siginificantlydecreased with appropriate physical activity and healthy food options," said Dr. Janice Willett, President of the OMA. "It is essential that school be ahealthy environment for children, where they can experience healthy behavioursthat will continue into adulthood."
The OMA report, An Ounce of Prevention or a Ton of Trouble: Is there anepidemic of obesity in children? showed that from 1981 to 1996, the proportionof overweight boys increased from 15 to 28.8 per cent and overweight girlsfrom 15 to 23.6 per cent. The report also highlighted the severe andpotentially life-threatening consequences of obesity. Obese children face anincreased risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes,breathing problems (such as obstructive sleep apnea) and orthopediccomplications.
"The provincial government has shown that health prevention is a priorityand tackling junk food in schools shows they are committed to improving thehealth of our children," said Dr. Willett. "This action, in combination withmore physical activity and public education, will help address this growingpublic health issue."
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Diet soda linked to higher heart disease risk: study
[blog editors note] Pharmacists inducing their customers to drink cheap pop -- please take note.
Written by: SHERYL UBELACKER
TORONTO (CP) - For those who drink diet pops in the belief that sugar-free beverages are healthier than regular soft drinks, new research suggests they should think again.
A huge U.S. study of middle-aged adults has found that drinking more than one soft drink a day - even a sugar-free diet brand - may be associated with an elevated risk for metabolic syndrome, a cluster of factors that significantly boosts the chance of having a heart attack or stroke and developing diabetes.
"We found that one or more sodas per day increases your risk of new-onset metabolic syndrome by about 45 per cent, and it did not seem to matter if it was regular or diet," Dr. Ramachandran Vasan, senior investigator for the Framingham Heart Study, said Monday from Boston.
Because the corn syrup that sweetens most regular soft drinks can cause weight gain and lead to insulin resistance and diabetes, "you would expect to see an association with regular soft drinks - but not diet soft drinks," he said. "Our findings suggest that this is not the case."
"That for me is striking."
Metabolic syndrome is associated with five specific health indicators: excess abdominal fat; high blood sugar; high triglycerides; low levels of the good cholesterol HDL; and elevated blood pressure.
"And other than high blood pressure, the other four . . . all were associated with drinking one or more sodas per day," said Vasan, a professor of medicine at Boston University.
The study included nearly 9,000 observations of middle-aged men and women over four years at three different times. The study looked at how many 355-millilitre cans of cola or other soft drinks a participant consumed each day.
The researchers found that compared to those who drank less than one can per day, subjects who downed one or more soft drinks daily had a:
-31 per cent greater risk of becoming obese (with a body mass index of 30 or more).
-30 per cent increased risk of adding on belly fat.
-25 per cent higher risk of developing high blood triglycerides or high blood sugar.
-32 per cent higher risk of having low HDL levels.
But Vasan and his colleagues, whose study was published Monday in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, are unsure what it is about soft drinks that ratchets up the risk of metabolic syndrome.
"We really don't know," he said. "This soda consumption may be a marker for a particular dietary pattern or lifestyle. Individuals who drink one or more sodas per day tend to be people who have greater caloric intake. They tend to have more of saturated fats and trans fats in their diet, they tend to be more sedentary, they seem to have lower consumption of fibre."
"And we tried to adjust for all of these in our analysis . . . but it's very difficult to completely adjust away lifestyle."
While soft drink consumption is declining in Canada, statistics from 2006 showed that Canadians overall still gulp down an average of 85 litres each per year.
Dr. David Jenkins, director of the Risk Factor Modification Centre at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, said previous studies have suggested that diet pops did not have the same effects on weight and health as do naturally sweetened soft drinks.
"The unusual thing that needs comment is they (the study authors) say that the diet colas are the same as the calorically sweetened colas," said Jenkins. "So I think that is the piece that they've put into this puzzle . . . I think we need a lot more scrutiny of that."
Jenkins said he believes that high consumption of soft drinks likely goes along with eating a high-calorie diet.
"I think the disappointing thing is if you thought you were doing (yourself) a major service . . . by taking diet drinks, this is not helping you," he said. "Before we were saying take the diet (drink) and you're OK. Now we're saying: 'Watch it."'
The study findings also beg the question whether there is some ingredient in soft drinks - both regular and diet - that may encourage metabolic syndrome.
Caramel, used to colour colas, is an ingredient that goes through a chemical reaction that has been shown in studies to "be quite toxic," said Jenkins. "It's possible that (such products) increase insulin resistance and cause oxidative stress and damage and all the other things we don't want."
Dr. Arya Sharma, chair of cardiovascular obesity research at McMaster University, said one explanation for the link between diet drinks and metabolic syndrome is that their just-as-sugary taste may condition consumers to crave other foods that bring sweetness to the palate.
"So people who drink diet pop may be eating other sweets, whether that comes in the form of dessert or other things, I don't know," Sharma said Monday from Hamilton. "It may be that people who are drinking diet pop - and we have this effect often with people who go on diets or when people go running or whatever - that you do a little bit of something that you think is good, and then you overcompensate by doing more of something that is bad."
"The idea could be because I'm drinking diet pop, I can afford to splurge on dessert."
Vasan said he cannot out-and-out recommend that people stop drinking pop based on this study, because the findings are based on association, not clear cause and effect. More research is needed, he said.
"The simple message is eat healthy, exercise regularly and everything should be done in moderation," he said. "If you're a regular soda drinker you should be aware that this study adds to the evidence that regular soda may be associated with metabolic consequences."
"If you're a diet soda drinker, stay tuned for additional research to confirm or refute these findings."
Written by: SHERYL UBELACKER
TORONTO (CP) - For those who drink diet pops in the belief that sugar-free beverages are healthier than regular soft drinks, new research suggests they should think again.
A huge U.S. study of middle-aged adults has found that drinking more than one soft drink a day - even a sugar-free diet brand - may be associated with an elevated risk for metabolic syndrome, a cluster of factors that significantly boosts the chance of having a heart attack or stroke and developing diabetes.
"We found that one or more sodas per day increases your risk of new-onset metabolic syndrome by about 45 per cent, and it did not seem to matter if it was regular or diet," Dr. Ramachandran Vasan, senior investigator for the Framingham Heart Study, said Monday from Boston.
Because the corn syrup that sweetens most regular soft drinks can cause weight gain and lead to insulin resistance and diabetes, "you would expect to see an association with regular soft drinks - but not diet soft drinks," he said. "Our findings suggest that this is not the case."
"That for me is striking."
Metabolic syndrome is associated with five specific health indicators: excess abdominal fat; high blood sugar; high triglycerides; low levels of the good cholesterol HDL; and elevated blood pressure.
"And other than high blood pressure, the other four . . . all were associated with drinking one or more sodas per day," said Vasan, a professor of medicine at Boston University.
The study included nearly 9,000 observations of middle-aged men and women over four years at three different times. The study looked at how many 355-millilitre cans of cola or other soft drinks a participant consumed each day.
The researchers found that compared to those who drank less than one can per day, subjects who downed one or more soft drinks daily had a:
-31 per cent greater risk of becoming obese (with a body mass index of 30 or more).
-30 per cent increased risk of adding on belly fat.
-25 per cent higher risk of developing high blood triglycerides or high blood sugar.
-32 per cent higher risk of having low HDL levels.
But Vasan and his colleagues, whose study was published Monday in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, are unsure what it is about soft drinks that ratchets up the risk of metabolic syndrome.
"We really don't know," he said. "This soda consumption may be a marker for a particular dietary pattern or lifestyle. Individuals who drink one or more sodas per day tend to be people who have greater caloric intake. They tend to have more of saturated fats and trans fats in their diet, they tend to be more sedentary, they seem to have lower consumption of fibre."
"And we tried to adjust for all of these in our analysis . . . but it's very difficult to completely adjust away lifestyle."
While soft drink consumption is declining in Canada, statistics from 2006 showed that Canadians overall still gulp down an average of 85 litres each per year.
Dr. David Jenkins, director of the Risk Factor Modification Centre at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, said previous studies have suggested that diet pops did not have the same effects on weight and health as do naturally sweetened soft drinks.
"The unusual thing that needs comment is they (the study authors) say that the diet colas are the same as the calorically sweetened colas," said Jenkins. "So I think that is the piece that they've put into this puzzle . . . I think we need a lot more scrutiny of that."
Jenkins said he believes that high consumption of soft drinks likely goes along with eating a high-calorie diet.
"I think the disappointing thing is if you thought you were doing (yourself) a major service . . . by taking diet drinks, this is not helping you," he said. "Before we were saying take the diet (drink) and you're OK. Now we're saying: 'Watch it."'
The study findings also beg the question whether there is some ingredient in soft drinks - both regular and diet - that may encourage metabolic syndrome.
Caramel, used to colour colas, is an ingredient that goes through a chemical reaction that has been shown in studies to "be quite toxic," said Jenkins. "It's possible that (such products) increase insulin resistance and cause oxidative stress and damage and all the other things we don't want."
Dr. Arya Sharma, chair of cardiovascular obesity research at McMaster University, said one explanation for the link between diet drinks and metabolic syndrome is that their just-as-sugary taste may condition consumers to crave other foods that bring sweetness to the palate.
"So people who drink diet pop may be eating other sweets, whether that comes in the form of dessert or other things, I don't know," Sharma said Monday from Hamilton. "It may be that people who are drinking diet pop - and we have this effect often with people who go on diets or when people go running or whatever - that you do a little bit of something that you think is good, and then you overcompensate by doing more of something that is bad."
"The idea could be because I'm drinking diet pop, I can afford to splurge on dessert."
Vasan said he cannot out-and-out recommend that people stop drinking pop based on this study, because the findings are based on association, not clear cause and effect. More research is needed, he said.
"The simple message is eat healthy, exercise regularly and everything should be done in moderation," he said. "If you're a regular soda drinker you should be aware that this study adds to the evidence that regular soda may be associated with metabolic consequences."
"If you're a diet soda drinker, stay tuned for additional research to confirm or refute these findings."
Friday, July 13, 2007
Don't follow your pharmacists lead. Drink Water Instead.
Pushing Sugar? On
What do our health care economists think about this? Read this: Fat Zombies, Pleistocene Tastes, Autophilia and the “Obesity Epidemic”
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Lawsuit Aimed at Stopping Junk-Food Marketing to Children
Kellogg Company Makes Historic Commitment, Adopting Nutrition Standards For Marketing Foods To Children
Advocacy Groups and Parents Applaud Efforts, Drop Plans to Sue
Advocacy Groups and Parents Applaud Efforts, Drop Plans to Sue
WASHINGTON: Kellogg Company will adopt nutrition standards for the foods it advertises to young children, and the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), the Campaign for Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC), and two Massachusetts parents will not proceed with a lawsuit against the company.
Foods advertised on media including TV, radio, print, and third-party Web sites that have an audience of 50 percent or more children under age 12 will have to meet Kellogg's new nutrition standards, which require that one serving of the food has: (for more information click on the title of this posting)Monday, April 30, 2007
Are pharmacists content to contribute directly to the epidemics of obesity and type 2 diabetes?
Caroline Apovian, a researcher at Boston University School of Medicine, commented that the study “provides strong, scientifically sound evidence that excess calories from soft drinks are directly contributing to the epidemics of obesity and type 2 diabetes” and that “reducing sugars sweetened beverage consumption may be the best single opportunity to curb the obesity epidemic.” (Apovian CM. Sugar-sweetened soft drinks, obesity, and type 2 diabetes. JAMA. 2004; 292:978–9.).
For a full analysis read: Liquid Candy: How Soft Drinks Are Harming Americans’ Health by Michael F. Jacobson, Ph.D. published by the Center for Science in the Public Interest Washington, D.C.
Suggestions for the consumer & patient. Choosing what and when to eat takes some careful consideration. Here are some healthy tips to help stave off the hunger pangs and keep energy levels up throughout the day. Here are some ideas courtesy of the CBC: http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/health/smart-snacks.html
Suggestions for the clinicians. A complete copy of the 2006 Canadian Clinical Practice Guidelines on the Management and Prevention of Obesity in Adults and Children can be found at http://www.cmaj.ca/pressrelease/pgS1-complete.pdf. The word pharmacist or pharmacy does not appear once in these guidelines published by the Canadian Medical Association Journal. What an opportunity!
Suggestions for pharmacists. From the University of Saskatchewan some enlightening news. For starters: Pharmacy and nutrition are taught in the same program. Their College of Pharmacy and Nutrition recommends that you “don't recommend natural weight loss products to patients. The most dependable way to safely lose weight is still lifestyle modification - reducing caloric intake and increasing exercise.”
So if pharmacists want to make a difference – they might start by clearing their shelves of tarts and treats. Check out these photos
For a full analysis read: Liquid Candy: How Soft Drinks Are Harming Americans’ Health by Michael F. Jacobson, Ph.D. published by the Center for Science in the Public Interest Washington, D.C.
Suggestions for the consumer & patient. Choosing what and when to eat takes some careful consideration. Here are some healthy tips to help stave off the hunger pangs and keep energy levels up throughout the day. Here are some ideas courtesy of the CBC: http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/health/smart-snacks.html
Suggestions for the clinicians. A complete copy of the 2006 Canadian Clinical Practice Guidelines on the Management and Prevention of Obesity in Adults and Children can be found at http://www.cmaj.ca/pressrelease/pgS1-complete.pdf. The word pharmacist or pharmacy does not appear once in these guidelines published by the Canadian Medical Association Journal. What an opportunity!
Suggestions for pharmacists. From the University of Saskatchewan some enlightening news. For starters: Pharmacy and nutrition are taught in the same program. Their College of Pharmacy and Nutrition recommends that you “don't recommend natural weight loss products to patients. The most dependable way to safely lose weight is still lifestyle modification - reducing caloric intake and increasing exercise.”
So if pharmacists want to make a difference – they might start by clearing their shelves of tarts and treats. Check out these photos
Friday, April 27, 2007
DRUG MARTS: PAY ATTENTION
The obesity risk of children increases for each additional glass of sugar-sweetened drink consumed each day.
Shoppers Drug Mart recently complained to Longwoods because we drew attention to one store’s multiple displays of thousands of cases of pop and row after row and promo after promo of super sized chocolate bars, other sweets and deep fried treats. Their representative wrote that we failed to make “the point about personal choice and individual responsibility for the choices we make as consumers and the impact that has on our health.” The correspondence also provides this quote: “Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.” Robert Collier.
So we would like to continue our small efforts in bringing to their attention the importance of nutrition in our lives – something we would hope would be promoted by a DRUG MART. The following is from the International Diabetes Federation.
Fight Obesity Prevent Diabetes
FACT SHEET ON DIET & NUTRITION
1. A third of the global burden of disease is probably the result of dietary factors.
2. People who are undernourished in early life and then become obese in adulthood are at a greater risk of developing conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes at an earlier age.
3. The average family spends 15 minutes preparing meals compared to two hours a few years ago.
4. The obesity risk of children increases for each additional glass of sugar-sweetened drink consumed each day.
5. People with diabetes should eat more fibre than people without the condition. Fibre helps prevent stomach problems and lower cholesterol.
6. Low energy diets are the most likely to lead to healthy eating habits and effective weight maintenance.
7. Eating while doing something else can often lead to overeating and thus increase the chances of becoming obese.
8. Reducing malnutrition in pregnant women can prevent their children from becoming overweight later in life and ease the burden of obesity.
9. Diet alone is not considered sufficient for sustained weight loss and needs to be coupled with exercise and a structured eating plan.
Sources:
1. Diabetes and Obesity: Time to Act; International Diabetes Federation 2004
2. Overfed and Underfed: The Global Epidemic of Malnutrition; Worldwatch Paper 150, Worldwatch Institute 2000
3. WHO World Heath Report 2002; World Health Organization 2002
And from a papers by David L. Mowat and David Butler-Jones:
“Current trends, such as an increasing prevalence of obesity (36% of adults are overweight and 23% obese), lack of physical activity (55% of Canadians are not physically active or moderately active [Statistics Canada 2004]) and a rapidly increasing incidence of type 2 diabetes, might well halt or even reverse progress in life expectancy, and certainly pose a threat to the sustainability of the health services system. Tackling these problems solely by curative means or even individually-based preventive approaches is neither affordable nor feasible. Vigorous population-based approaches are essential if these trends are to be reversed.”
See: Healthcare Papers
Shoppers Drug Mart recently complained to Longwoods because we drew attention to one store’s multiple displays of thousands of cases of pop and row after row and promo after promo of super sized chocolate bars, other sweets and deep fried treats. Their representative wrote that we failed to make “the point about personal choice and individual responsibility for the choices we make as consumers and the impact that has on our health.” The correspondence also provides this quote: “Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.” Robert Collier.
So we would like to continue our small efforts in bringing to their attention the importance of nutrition in our lives – something we would hope would be promoted by a DRUG MART. The following is from the International Diabetes Federation.
Fight Obesity Prevent Diabetes
FACT SHEET ON DIET & NUTRITION
1. A third of the global burden of disease is probably the result of dietary factors.
2. People who are undernourished in early life and then become obese in adulthood are at a greater risk of developing conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes at an earlier age.
3. The average family spends 15 minutes preparing meals compared to two hours a few years ago.
4. The obesity risk of children increases for each additional glass of sugar-sweetened drink consumed each day.
5. People with diabetes should eat more fibre than people without the condition. Fibre helps prevent stomach problems and lower cholesterol.
6. Low energy diets are the most likely to lead to healthy eating habits and effective weight maintenance.
7. Eating while doing something else can often lead to overeating and thus increase the chances of becoming obese.
8. Reducing malnutrition in pregnant women can prevent their children from becoming overweight later in life and ease the burden of obesity.
9. Diet alone is not considered sufficient for sustained weight loss and needs to be coupled with exercise and a structured eating plan.
Sources:
1. Diabetes and Obesity: Time to Act; International Diabetes Federation 2004
2. Overfed and Underfed: The Global Epidemic of Malnutrition; Worldwatch Paper 150, Worldwatch Institute 2000
3. WHO World Heath Report 2002; World Health Organization 2002
And from a papers by David L. Mowat and David Butler-Jones:
“Current trends, such as an increasing prevalence of obesity (36% of adults are overweight and 23% obese), lack of physical activity (55% of Canadians are not physically active or moderately active [Statistics Canada 2004]) and a rapidly increasing incidence of type 2 diabetes, might well halt or even reverse progress in life expectancy, and certainly pose a threat to the sustainability of the health services system. Tackling these problems solely by curative means or even individually-based preventive approaches is neither affordable nor feasible. Vigorous population-based approaches are essential if these trends are to be reversed.”
See: Healthcare Papers
Thursday, April 26, 2007
The Health Council of Canada addresses diabetes. We are reminded . . .
“The way we provide health care today leaves too many people vulnerable to serious health problems that could be avoided, “ said Dr. Ian Bowmer, Vice Chair of the Health Council of Canada. “If we don’t support prevention and change the way we deliver care for chronic health conditions, we are not optimizing care and are putting the quality of life of Canadians at risk.”
. . . . type 2 diabetes affects at least 1.3 million Canadians, plus hundreds of thousands more are unaware that they have the condition. Type 2 diabetes is also a largely preventable disease that is becoming increasingly prevalent among children and adults throughout the country, because of changes in eating and exercise habits that increase the risk of developing this disease.
Three-quarters of the people who live with diabetes also have other chronic health conditions, the Health Council found. Many suffer the serious complications typical of diabetes, such as heart disease, kidney damage, depression, loss of vision, and poor circulation which can lead to amputations. But with the right kind of health care, these health problems – which reduce the quality of life for people with diabetes and drive up the cost of their health care – can be forestalled or prevented, the report concludes.
Screening programs and community initiatives to help people better manage diet and lifestyle choices can have a major impact on preventing or delaying the onset of disease, but we need to take action now, to stem the rising tide of diabetes and related chronic health conditions.
“The lesson is clear. People with diabetes will need less intensive, less expensive, health care in the future, if they get the right care now,” said Dr. Stanley Vollant, a Councillor with the Health Council of Canada. “The way we provide care now is piecemeal and out-of-date. By changing how the health system works, we can improve the well-being of Canadians and make the health care system more sustainable. Canada can do better."
“It took a generation of hard work to see a real reduction in the number of Canadians who smoke,” said Dr. Bowmer. “We have to do the same for healthy eating and exercise to prevent chronic health conditions like diabetes. But we have to do it faster.”
See: Health Council of Canada
Shoppers Drug Mart* and other retail healthcare provider organizations should take note!
They can make a difference by discouraging sugar coated, fat laden foodstuffs often offered for “the convenience of our customers”.
Shoppers Drug Mart’s annual report tells readers that the company has captured a significant share of the market in front store merchandise, including over-the-counter medications, health and beauty aids, cosmetics and fragrances, seasonal products and everyday household essentials. They fail to mention that some stores have created a very large category (as many as eight aisle-length shelves) of super-sized chocolate bars, potato chip bags and multiple skids of pop – each holding up to 400 cases of the stuff at very affordable prices. It is difficult to see how this squares with their statement: “So we’re doing everything we can to help you keep healthy.” (The Publisher)
. . . . type 2 diabetes affects at least 1.3 million Canadians, plus hundreds of thousands more are unaware that they have the condition. Type 2 diabetes is also a largely preventable disease that is becoming increasingly prevalent among children and adults throughout the country, because of changes in eating and exercise habits that increase the risk of developing this disease.
Three-quarters of the people who live with diabetes also have other chronic health conditions, the Health Council found. Many suffer the serious complications typical of diabetes, such as heart disease, kidney damage, depression, loss of vision, and poor circulation which can lead to amputations. But with the right kind of health care, these health problems – which reduce the quality of life for people with diabetes and drive up the cost of their health care – can be forestalled or prevented, the report concludes.
Screening programs and community initiatives to help people better manage diet and lifestyle choices can have a major impact on preventing or delaying the onset of disease, but we need to take action now, to stem the rising tide of diabetes and related chronic health conditions.
“The lesson is clear. People with diabetes will need less intensive, less expensive, health care in the future, if they get the right care now,” said Dr. Stanley Vollant, a Councillor with the Health Council of Canada. “The way we provide care now is piecemeal and out-of-date. By changing how the health system works, we can improve the well-being of Canadians and make the health care system more sustainable. Canada can do better."
“It took a generation of hard work to see a real reduction in the number of Canadians who smoke,” said Dr. Bowmer. “We have to do the same for healthy eating and exercise to prevent chronic health conditions like diabetes. But we have to do it faster.”
See: Health Council of Canada
Shoppers Drug Mart* and other retail healthcare provider organizations should take note!
They can make a difference by discouraging sugar coated, fat laden foodstuffs often offered for “the convenience of our customers”.
Shoppers Drug Mart’s annual report tells readers that the company has captured a significant share of the market in front store merchandise, including over-the-counter medications, health and beauty aids, cosmetics and fragrances, seasonal products and everyday household essentials. They fail to mention that some stores have created a very large category (as many as eight aisle-length shelves) of super-sized chocolate bars, potato chip bags and multiple skids of pop – each holding up to 400 cases of the stuff at very affordable prices. It is difficult to see how this squares with their statement: “So we’re doing everything we can to help you keep healthy.” (The Publisher)
Friday, April 20, 2007
Photo reviews, rants and raves: Tim Hortons
Here it is: the Breakfast Sandwich served by Tim Hortons (34 grams of fat). And now – Tim Hortons adds needle disposals to washrooms
More news from a pharmacist and pharmacy. a.k.a. healthcare providers.
Shoppers Drug Mart at Queen and Carlaw in Toronto removes butter tarts & cheap cakes from the shelves and substitutes hundreds of cases of soft drinks. Check out these photos. This is in support of their corporate commitment found on the web site of the Canadian Diabetes Association. “. . . Shoppers Drug Mart continues to positively influence the health, well being and quality of life for people affected by diabetes.” In the meantime large chain grocery stores nearby are unable able to match this drug mart’s unfailing commitment to chocolate, candy, soft drinks, chips and more.
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
Fat Zombies, Pleistocene Tastes, Autophilia and the "Obesity Epidemic"
Canadians are fat and getting fatter: so say surveys up to and including the series of papers last August in Health Reports. By actual measurement, nearly a quarter of us (adults) are obese. So what? Obesity is clearly hazardous to health, but reports that 60% of us are "obese or overweight" border on fear-mongering. A body mass index (BMI) over 25 is not a death sentence, and obesity will not bankrupt the healthcare system. The trends, though, are worrying. So will we rebuild cities - and, especially, suburbs - to be more pedestrian-friendly, suppressing auto-induced urban sprawl? Will we take on the fast-food industry as we did tobacco? Obesity is not destiny; Canada could do better.
We Have Met the Enemy, and He Is Us (Sort Of) - Pogo
Does an effective response to obesity include putting MacDonald's and Coca-Cola out of business? Good luck! But if not … ? If sales of calorie-rich, nutrient-poor foods cannot be trimmed back, what hope is there for a lighter population? The industry can claim that it is simply responding to "consumer demand" - which on one level is true. Sellers of tobacco, pornography and illegal drugs could make the same claim (and some have). But influencing the food industry issue is much tougher than trying to suppress a noxious and widely unpopular industry. Promoting healthy eating requires some complex fine-tuning of a large industry with a high level of public support, in ways that will certainly restrict profit opportunities. Not surprisingly, our politicians have little stomach for this.
Effective tobacco control backs up aggressive anti-smoking messages with a combination of heavy taxation, restrictions on industry promotion and legal prohibition of smoking in public spaces. Left on their own, the health promoters would be massively outgunned; they wouldn't stand a chance. Are any of these seriously contemplated for the food industry?
Dr. Robert Evans, OC, a faculty member of the Department of Economics at the University of British Columbia, is one of the world's leading health economists.
We Have Met the Enemy, and He Is Us (Sort Of) - Pogo
Does an effective response to obesity include putting MacDonald's and Coca-Cola out of business? Good luck! But if not … ? If sales of calorie-rich, nutrient-poor foods cannot be trimmed back, what hope is there for a lighter population? The industry can claim that it is simply responding to "consumer demand" - which on one level is true. Sellers of tobacco, pornography and illegal drugs could make the same claim (and some have). But influencing the food industry issue is much tougher than trying to suppress a noxious and widely unpopular industry. Promoting healthy eating requires some complex fine-tuning of a large industry with a high level of public support, in ways that will certainly restrict profit opportunities. Not surprisingly, our politicians have little stomach for this.
Effective tobacco control backs up aggressive anti-smoking messages with a combination of heavy taxation, restrictions on industry promotion and legal prohibition of smoking in public spaces. Left on their own, the health promoters would be massively outgunned; they wouldn't stand a chance. Are any of these seriously contemplated for the food industry?
Efforts to keep soft-drink and fast-food promotion out of schools are commendable, and a lot more could be done through the schools - starting very early - to promote both healthy eating and more exercise. (A national daycare program could have provided an effective vehicle.) But that will require making greater fitness a serious public priority, that is, with organization, regulation and money. Like planning and re-building our urban environments, it is a large and long-term commitment. Is anyone really serious about this? Or should we just settle for preaching at the fatties?
[for the full article click on the title]
Dr. Robert Evans, OC, a faculty member of the Department of Economics at the University of British Columbia, is one of the world's leading health economists.
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