People urged to change dietary intake

Islamabad:Islamabad Food Authority’s (IFA) deputy director, Dr. Tahira Saddique, on Monday said that IFA is committed to protect the residents from unhealthy fats that causes cardio-metabolic diseases such as heart attacks, obese and diabetes.

She expressed these views during the dialogue session arranged in collaboration with Centre for Governance and Public Accountability (CGPA)and Health Services Academy with title "Public Policy to Tackle Obesity and Diabetes; A Case of IFTAs Reduction" where more than 25 leading experts, Nutrition and learners participated.

She said that the cardio-metabolic diseases were on the rise in the country especially among the age group of 26 to 59 years, adding, the authority was building it capacity and raising it awareness about premature mortality causes by these diseases.

“We are encouraging people to change their dietary intake like decrease intake of ultra-processes foods and sweetened beverages and increase the real nutritious food such as vegetables, lentils, meat, and fresh fruits,” Tahira said.

“Obesity and diabetes are rapidly spreading across our country,” warned Dr. Ramesh Kumar, Dean of Health Services Academy and said we have more than 36 million people who are diagnosed diabetes, and 11 million more are prediabetic due to rise intaking of Industrially produced trans fatty acids (ITFAs),”"he said.

“Diabetes is mother of diseases and cause serious illness resulted in creating the renal failure, heart attacks, foot ulcer,” he added. Mr. Zubair Faisal Abbasi, advisor to CGPA said, “These diseases are preventable with modification in public policies i.e., improving food governance in order the make industry comply with food standards such as elimination of iTFAs from food supply”.

“Changing dietary intake, life styles, and with availability of standard treatments, the NCDs related disease burden can be managed and reduced”, he added. Another representative of CGPA, Muhammad Anwar said, “The case of trans fats elimination is strong and more than 61 countries have adopted ITFA limiting and elimination policies around the world.” “Pakistan needs to strengthen its enforcement mechanism, and make sure that the food supply does not carry harmful trans fats”, he added. -