The United States is being challenged to put health before profits after signalling it may block global plans to curb consumption of junk food and soft drinks.
The move to stall the World Health Organization's global strategy on diet and prevention of chronic diseases was revealed in secret correspondence leaked from Washington DC after a massive lobbying campaign by the sugar industry, soft drink manufacturers and parts of the food industry. The US government is expected to try to block agreement to the strategy at a meeting of the WHO's executive board in Geneva next week.
Prof Philip James, chairman of the International Obesity TaskForce, a think tank of world experts working to defeat the epidemic of obesity-related diseases, said the US government and industry tactics were 'indefensible' and accused them of already being guilty of blighting the health of millions after sugar industry objections more than a decade ago thwarted similar plans for global action to combat the rapid rise in 'non-communicable diseases' including diabetes and heart disease.
He said the sugar industry, aided and abetted by the US government, put up a stonewall of opposition to proposals to improve world health in 1990. "Since then we have seen massive increases in obesity and diabetes rates, and the emergence of a childhood obesity epidemic and the huge problems of adolescent type 2 diabetes, not only in the USA and the UK, but now across the developing world," he added.
"It was a scandal that is now in danger of being repeated. This time people are far more tuned into what is now a much bigger obesity crisis and are more aware of some of the dangers such as diabetes. When they begin to see children developing these severe health problems, it brings home to people that this is not some vague health risk in the future - it is happening here and now."
Whitehall sources have reported a queue of lobbyists demanding to see UK ministers to try to reverse Britain's declared position in support of the WHO strategy. Across Europe governments have acknowledged intense pressure from the US and industry to block specific recommendations to restrict the amount of added sugar in diets to no more than 10%. Many of the WHO Executive Board members represent small countries which are dependent on delivering sugar contracts to some of the world's confectionary and soft drink giants.
Recent research in the USA which examined adolescent health revealed that 35.5% of overweight and obese adolescents already had symptoms of the "metabolic syndrome" - a combination of serious risk factors for diabetes and heart disease.
The levels of obesity among US teenagers have risen 50% since 1990 but are actually three times greater than they were 20 years ago. Damning new evidence published this month in the respected scientific journal, Pediatrics, identifies fast food as a key factor affecting the poor diets of American youngsters, and recommends action to restrict marketing to children.
In the United Kingdom adolescent obesity in 2000 was nearly 16% - three times greater than it was in 1990. The UK government has funded no studies to identify the full extent of metabolic syndrome affecting youngsters, despite early warnings in medical journals registering evidence among children of type 2 diabetes, an obesity-related disease previously confined to older adults.
Evidence from the most recent census in the USA shows that 47 million Americans are affected by the metabolic syndrome.
"If effective action had begun more than a decade ago when we first produced a WHO report on diet and the prevention of chronic diseases, millions of those Americans might have avoided becoming affected by the metabolic syndrome, which drastically shortens lives and increases the likelihood of chronic diseases and disability.
"Now the US government recognises it has a major problem and is already supporting efforts to persuade its own people to improve their diets and be more active, but it doesn't want to support the same measures for the rest of the world if it means their corporations making billions out of peddling sugary soft drinks and junk food to children have to change. It is time for everyone to change their outlook and realise the health of the present and future generations is more important than making a fast buck today," added Prof James.ends
Prof James is chairman of the International Obesity TaskForce and
vice president of the International Union of Nutritional Sciences. He chaired
the United Nations Commission on the Nutritional Challenges of the 21st
Century. He was adviser to the UK prime minister, providing the blueprint
for the development of the Food Standards Agency in Britain and the European
Food Safety Agency in the EU.
For more information contact:
Neville Rigby
Director of Policy and Public Affairs
International Obesity TaskForce
Mobile: 07939250347