Food Main Culprit in 80% Diseases in KSA
DAMMAM — Sixty to 80 percent diseases in the Kingdom are caused by malnutrition and unhealthy food habits, said a report published by the Health Ministry.
Obesity and overweight account for 74.5 percent of cases while diabetes accounts for 23.7 percent cases caused by unhealthy and unbalanced food intake by people in the age group of 30 to 70.
“There are several diseases caused by food and some of these ailments such as anemia, weight loss and vitamin deficiency are caused by malnutrition,” the ministry said.
In the meantime, diseases such as obesity and diabetes are caused by fatty and sugary food, the report added.
In light of the study, the ministry has launched a public awareness program to fight food-related diseases, including obesity and diabetes.
Dr. Amr Al-Amran, director of chronic diseases at the Health Affairs Department in the Eastern Province, said the World Health Organization has launched a major initiative to fight obesity worldwide.
He said Deputy Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman has shown special interest in this initiative, which has been taken up by the Department to Combat Chronic and Genetic Diseases at the ministry.
“This initiative aims at further improving public health by controlling obesity and adopting best healthcare measures to protect people from this disease,” Al-Amran told Al-Watan Arabic daily.
“We also intend to provide integrated healthcare to obese patients,” he added.
Al-Amran blamed three factors — genetic, unhealthy food intake and lack of physical exercise — for increasing cases of obesity in the Kingdom.
“The ongoing measures to control these three factors will reduce the cost of combating obesity to less than half,” he added.
“We expect positive results in the next 10 years if we succeed in conducting the initiative properly by educating the public on the need to avoid fatty and sugary food,” he said.
He emphasized the role of health, education, commerce, municipality and information departments in implementing the strategic initiative that mainly targets young populations.
The ministry has established 110 nutrition clinics at government hospitals and 25 clinics at primary healthcare centers to treat diseases caused by malnutrition and unhealthy food habits.
These clinics will also help reduce diseases such as obesity, diabetes and anemia. Experts at the clinics will check health and nutrition status as well as food habits of the patients. They will then advise patients on the importance of sticking to a balanced diet.
Al-Amran said nutrition clinics would enable the public to cut down complications of diabetes and obesity and reduce the period spent by such patients in hospitals.
No statistical report has been published in the Kingdom on the cost of diseases caused by malnutrition, he said, adding that the majority of deaths in the country results from cardiovascular diseases.
(Source: SaudiGazette.com.sa)