The Obesity Conundrum: Is There A Food Solution

1
The Obesity Conundrum Is There A Food Solution?

• Eileen Kennedy, D.Sc.

2
Three Key Questions

• Globally why do we have positive energy balance
  that is driving overweight and obesity?
• Why are the biological mechanisms that have
  guarded against obesity for centuries apparently
  failing?
• What is the role of the food and drink in
  modulating energy balance?

3
IFT Summits

• Summarize what is known from the scientific
  literature
• Identify research gaps and how these might be
  filled

4
Planning Committee

• Claude Bouchard
• Bill Fry
• Gilbert Leveille
• Julie Jones
• Guy Johnson
• Ricardo Uauy
• Eileen Kennedy, Chair

5
The Worldwide Obesity Epidemic Dr. Claude
Bouchard

• Key Points
• Overweight and obesity have increased throughout
  the world, even in some of the poorest countries
  of the world
• 1.1 billion people, including 25 million in the
  USA
• A series of behavioral, biological and
  environmental factors have been associated with
  obesity

6
Behavioral Factors

• Intake of high caloric foods
• High fat diets
• High sugar intake
• Low calcium intake
• Low protein intake
• Large amount time in sedentary activity

7
Biological Factors

• Infant birth weight
• Maternal and post natal nutrition
• Rise in use of high fructose corn syrup
• Low resting metabolic rates
• Low leptin levels
• Viral infections
• Genetics

8
Environmental

• Urban environment less opportunity for
  activity- security, TV watching, computers
• Environmental pollutants organochlorines

9
Key Conclusion

• Over the past 20 years, the rapid rise in
  overweight and obesity can not be explained by
  changes in the genome.

10
Diet, Nutrition and Prevention of Chronic Disease
Dr. R. Uauy

• Key Observations
• Education is protective against obesity
• Insulin and leptin are center stage in
  regulating weight
• As the energy density of foods increases, energy
  consumption covertly increases

11
WHO/FAO Report 916

• Some of the strategies suggested to prevention
  and/or retard overweight and obesity
• taxes on foods
• limits on advertising to children
• outright ban on certain foods
• -Need interventions targeted to children and
  their families
• -Entire spectrum of causes need to be addressed

12
Key Issues Of Disagreement

• Level of evidence needed for policy options
• Move strategy from general to specific in a
  country

13
Appetite, Satiety, Energy Balance Dr. S. Woods

• Some evidence suggests that under normal
  circumstances, meal initiation is based upon
  learned associations, convenience or social
  settings
• Meal stimulating peptide ghrelin exists and has
  a role in satiety
• Evidence for meal cessation strongly indicates
  that meal size is controlled by preabsorptive GI
  signals with CCK being one

14
Is There a Food Solution Dr. A. Drewnowski

• Eating behavior is driven primarily by economics
• 40 of energy in US diet is from added sugars and
  fats
• Sugars and fats are cheaper sources of calories
  than fruits and vegetables

15
Conclusions from the Summit

• Prevention is critical
• What is the extent of lifestyle change needed
  small, meal-based, larger, longer term
• Identification of effective interventions for
  prevention

16
Predictive Biomarkers

• Reliable, long term behavioral and biological
  indicators of obesity risk
• Biomarkers for dietary compliance, energy intake
  and energy expenditure

17
Behavior Modification

• Understanding what drives food-related behavior
  is at the crux of the obesity issue
• Real life investigations into motivations of
  lifestyle choices

18
Communication and Education

• How do we use communications to change behaviors
• What are the hot buttons for learning
• Harness the marketing expertise of private sector

19
Food Solutions

• Identifying whether successful, sustainable
  weight control interventions, however modest, can
  be achieved through food formulation
• Can specific foods or combination of foods be
  used to manage energy intake to decrease obesity?
• Can food mfgs. make small changes in energy
  density of foods that contribute to weight loss?

20
Integration of Research Efforts

• Need for a clearinghouse for research outcomes
  applied to obesity
• Clearinghouse-interface between regulatory
  agencies, industry and academia
• Validated successful interventions

21
Conclusion

• The big issue is to find ways to incorporate
  efficacious changes into transparent, sustainable
  actions within our everyday lives.
• Eileen Kennedy, 2004