THE EDITOR: I wonder how many of our citizens are aware that 2021 is the UN-declared International Year of Fruits and Vegetables? However, I am sure they are aware that the prices of these commodities are increasing.
On its online data, under the section Good for you: Health and Nutrition Benefits, the UN provides a list and sources of information regarding the benefits of fruits and vegetables with special reference to non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
Here are some of the benefits:
* Healthy heart.
* Lower cancer risk. In 128 out of 156 dietary studies, consuming fruit and vegetables was found to lower the risk of lung, colon, breast, cervix, oesophagus, oral cavity, stomach, bladder, pancreas and ovarian cancer.
* Lower obesity risk.
* Lower diabetes risk. A systematic review and meta-analysis found higher green leafy vegetable and higher fruit intake was associated with a significant reduction in type 2 diabetes risk.
* Improved immunity. Adequate intake of fruits and vegetables may reduce the severity of some infectious diseases. Though they will not protect you against a virus such as covid19, recovery from infectious disease is better when consuming fruits and vegetables than with diets low in this food group.
So what is the problem? Because clearly consumption of fruits and vegetables is a key component in preventative medicine. Why is there not a national programme of awareness building for them on the same scale as the regular covid19 press conferences?
Indeed, there is a very elaborate National Strategic Plan for the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases: Trinidad and Tobago 2017-2021 launched by the Ministry of Health. It is available online.
According to the information placed there, heart disease, diabetes and cancer are the three leading causes of death in TT. Covid19 comes further down in the causes of death list.
As a matter of interest, epidemiologist Dr Avery Hinds just recently confirmed that hypertension and diabetes are the most common comorbidities observed in people who have died of covid19.
Ryan Hamilton-Davis, writing in the Newsday of June 24, reported, 'In the 1970s the Caribbean was the envy of the western hemisphere when it came to health and healthy eating. Studies showed that in the 70s Caribbean people were among the healthiest in the world, with an obesity level of less than ten per cent and low prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
'But in the 1990s the prevalence of non-communicable diseases skyrocketed. For example, diabetes went from a prevalence of 1.3 per cent in the 1970s to 13 per cent in the 1990s.'
His article added that 'a study done in 2017 by the Ministry of Health indicated that NCDs were the leading cause of death for people in Trinidad and Tobago.'
At a national food system webinar, health economist Dr Karl Theodore described obesity as 'rampant' in TT. Participants were also told that NCDs do not only impact on lives, they also put a strain on the nation's gross domestic product, costing the country billion
