Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2018 Jun 29;5(7):89.
doi: 10.3390/children5070089.

Fat Intake Reduction Strategies among Children and Adults to Eliminate Obesity and Non-Communicable Diseases in the Eastern Mediterranean Region

Ayoub Al Jawaldeh  1 , Hanin Al-Jawaldeh  2
Affiliations
Review

Fat Intake Reduction Strategies among Children and Adults to Eliminate Obesity and Non-Communicable Diseases in the Eastern Mediterranean Region

Ayoub Al Jawaldeh et al. Children (Basel). .

Abstract

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading cause of mortality globally with an estimated 39.5 million deaths per year (72% of total death) in 2016, due to the four major NCDs: cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes. In the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR), almost 68% of all deaths are attributed to NCDs commonly known as chronic or lifestyle-related diseases. Two-thirds of NCD premature deaths are linked to 4 shared modifiable behavioral risk factors: tobacco use, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and harmful use of alcohol. These unhealthy behaviours lead to 4 key metabolic/biological changes; raised blood pressure, overweight/obesity, high blood glucose levels/diabetes, and hyperlipidemia (high levels of fat in the blood), that increase the risk of NCDs. Globally, countries are already working towards agreed global goals on maternal and infant nutrition and on the prevention of NCDs. In both fields the goals include halting the increase in overweight and obesity and reducing NCD diet-related risk factors including reducing saturated fatty acids (SFAs) and trans fatty acids (TFAs) intake. The objective of this review is to present an up-to-date overview of the current fat (SFAs and TFAs) intake reduction initiatives in countries of the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) by highlighting national and regional programs, strategies and activities aiming at decreasing the intakes of dietary fat (SFA and TFA). The literature review shows that the average intake of SFA is estimated to be 10.3% of the total energy intake (EI), exceeding the WHO (World Health Organization) upper limit of 10%. The average TFA intake is estimated at 1.9% EI, which also exceeds the WHO upper limit of 1% EI. The highest SFAs intake was reported from Djibouti, Kuwait, Saudi-Arabia, Lebanon and Yemen, while the highest TFAs intakes were reported from Egypt and Pakistan. If countries of the EMR receive immediate public health attention, that toll of NCD-related morbidity and mortality would be considerably decreased through the implantation of evidence-based preventive interventions. In this context, reductions in SFAs and TFAs intakes have been highlighted as cost-effectives strategies that may hamper the growth of the NCD epidemic.

Keywords: Eastern Mediterranean region; NCD; SFAs; TFAs; fat.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Prevalence of obesity, dyslipidaemia and impaired glucose levels in EMR (Eastern Mediterranean Region). BMI = body mass index.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Estimates of total fat intake based on dietary assessment studies in countries of the Eastern Mediterranean Region. EI = energy intake.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Saturated fat intake in countries of the Eastern Mediterranean region based on a Bayesian model [42].
Figure 4
Figure 4
Trans fat intake in countries of the Eastern Mediterranean region based on a Bayesian model [42]. — (dotted line) = WHO Upper Limit.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Estimates of TFA (trans fatty acids) intake based on dietary assessment studies in countries of the Eastern Mediterranean Region.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Estimates of SFAs (saturated fatty acids) intake based on dietary assessment studies in countries of the Eastern Mediterranean Region.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. World Health Organization . Global Status Report on Noncommunicable Diseases 2014. World Health Organization; Geneva, Switzerland: 2014. [(accessed on 18 January 2018)]. Available online: http://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/148114.
    1. World Health Organization. Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean (EMRO) Eastern Mediterranean Region Framework for Health Information Systems and Core Indicators for Monitoring Health Situation and Health System Performance. [(accessed on 15 January 2018)];2017 Available online: http://applications.emro.who.int/docs/EMROPUB_2017_EN_16766.pdf?ua=1.
    1. GBD 2016 Causes of Death Collaborators Global, regional, and national age-sex specific mortality for 264 causes of death, 1980–2016: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016. Lancet. 2017;390:1151–1210. - PMC - PubMed
    1. World Health Organization Regional. Office for the Eastern Mediterranean (EMRO) Health Systems Strengthening in Countries of the Eastern Mediterranean Region: Challenges, Priorities and Options for Future Action. EMRO; Cairo, Egypt: 2012. [(accessed on 1 April 2018)]. Available online: http://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/123147.
    1. Alwan A., McColl K., James J.P., Al-Jawaldeh A. Proposed Policy Priorities for Preventing Obesity and Diabetes in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. EMRO; Cairo, Egypt: 2017. [(accessed on 10 March 2018)]. Available online: http://www.who.int/iris/handle/10665/259519.

LinkOut - more resources