Poor diets cause 11m annual deaths globally: CI report

FE Team | Published: March 15, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00

Poor diets contribute to more than 11 million deaths annually around the world and it has now become the number one global risk factor for death, a report of the Consumers International (CI) said, reports BSS.
The CI report, launched on the eve of the World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD) 2015, also said unhealthy diets are linked to four of the world's top ten leading risk factors causing death. These are high blood pressure, high blood glucose, overweight and obesity and high cholesterol.
"Consumers Rights to Healthy Food" is the theme of this year's World Consumers Rights Day, which will be observed today (Sunday) across the globe, including Bangladesh. The CI report is linked to the theme of the day, which focused on the state of the current food habit of the people in different countries. The report also recommended an agenda for action to promote healthy diets.
According to the report, premature illness and disability from diet-related diseases impoverishes families, hurts productivity and bankrupts health systems. The global economic impact from obesity alone is roughly $2.0 trillion, or 2.8 per cent of global GDP, roughly equivalent to the global impact from smoking or armed violence, war, and terrorism.
Inadequate consumption of fruits and vegetables increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and some cancers and accounts for some 1.7 million deaths a year, the report said. It noted that dietary salt consumption is an important determinant of blood pressure levels and of overall cardiovascular risk; high blood pressure is the number one risk factor for death around the world. High consumption of saturated fat and trans-fats is linked to heart disease, the number one cause of death globally.
The report said besides rich countries, diet related diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes are rising far faster in developing economies and resulted in more than eight million people dying before their 60th birthdays in low and middle-income countries in 2013 alone.
"We need a global transformation in the way people eat. All consumers need the right, not just food, but healthy food", the CI report said.
It recommended promoting consumption of fruit and vegetables, with supporting trade and agricultural policies that make fruit and vegetables accessible and affordable.