Diet deteriorating for 3 decades

Poor diet has become a major concern for Bangladesh as changing dietary patterns show that people are less focused on consuming whole grains, fresh produce and nuts, leading to disease and death.

The number of deaths in the country for poor dietary choices increased in the last three decades, according to a survey published in the Lancet medical journal earlier last month.

In terms of death associated with poor diets, Bangladesh ranked 135 (out of 195 countries and territories) at 344.4 deaths per 100,000 people in 2017, rising from a rank of 34 in 1990.

The research that is part of the Global Burden of Disease study by the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) in Seattle, US, showed that almost every region of the world could benefit from rebalancing their diets.

The study, which tracked trends in consumption of 15 dietary factors from 1990 to 2017, estimates that one in five deaths globally -- equivalent to 11 million deaths, even more than smoking tobacco -- is associated with poor diet.

In Bangladesh, a low intake of fruits -- below 250 grams per day -- was the leading dietary risk, the report said.

“Deaths resulting from poor diet in Bangladesh are driven largely by a diet that is low in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and high in sodium,” Dr Ashkan Afshin, lead author of the study, told The Daily Star in an email.

Afshin, assistant professor of Health Metrics Sciences at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington, said, “There is much that government officials and other key stakeholders can do to address this problem, including implementing food policies that increase the availability, affordability, and accessibility of healthy foods, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds, and legumes.”

According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Bangladesh ranked the 10th largest country in fruit production among the world’s fruit producing countries. Over the last 18 years, the country’s fruit production has increased by 11.5 percent on average.

Last year, the average fruit intake per head rose to 85 grams from 55 grams in 2006, said the FAO.

Experts said there has been a revolution in fruit farming in Bangladesh. Over the years, more and more fruit trees are being planted along roads and in yards; commercial cultivation has increased over the last 10 years too.

According to the agriculture ministry, 56 varieties of fruit were cultivated around a decade ago. This now stands at 72. Some 12 more varieties are being studied.

“Bangladesh is an over populated country. Our annual fruit production is around 1.21 crore tonnes. But almost all the fruit production is limited to only three months,” Mehedi Masood, project director of year-round fruit production for nutrition improvement project of Department of Agriculture Extension, told The Daily Star.

A total of 35 percent of fruits produced rot because of poor storage systems and transport shortages, he added.

In 2017, more deaths in India, the US, Brazil, Pakistan, Nigeria, Russia, Egypt, Germany, Iran, and Turkey were caused by diets with a Low intake of whole grains, below 125 grams per day, fruits, nuts and seeds than by diets with high levels of foods like trans fats, sugary drinks, and high levels of red and processed meats.

Globally, people were eating only 12 percent as many nuts they should be, and only 23 percent as many whole grains. Whole grains have been linked to lower rates of chronic conditions including cancer, Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular conditions, while nuts are packed with heart-healthy fats and plenty of vitamins and minerals.

In 2017, Israel had the lowest rate of diet-related deaths, at 89 per 100,000 people, followed by France, Spain and Japan. The UK ranked 23rd, with 127 diet-related deaths per 100,000 and the US was 43rd with 171. Uzbekistan was last, with 892.

Heart attacks and strokes are the main diet-related causes of death, followed by cancers and type 2 diabetes, said researchers.

“Our findings show that suboptimal diet is responsible for more deaths than any other risks globally, including tobacco smoking, highlighting the urgent need for improving human diet across nations,” study said.