Living in Balance The Madrid Charter pietro paganini

Living in Balance: The Madrid Charter

I have presented the Madrid Charter, a fundamental document that analyzes and proposes effective solutions to reduce non-communicable diseases and obesity, improving both the duration and quality of life.
This is an extremely IMPORTANT and useful tool to overcome the current ineffective and counterproductive public health policies, such as the nutriscore, through simple, quick, and effective actions.
The Charter is the result of contributions from Italian and Spanish scientists at the Madrid symposium, organized by Competere, the Center for Studies and Research on Obesity at the University of Milan, the University of Madrid, and AgriFood. It is designed to raise awareness among policymakers and public officials towards more effective policies.
The document presented at the University of Milan is free here in English >>> and here in Italian >>>

Living in Balance

Here are some excerpts from the Madrid Charter.

“The World Obesity Federation predicts that if current trends continue, by 2035, the majority of the world’s population (51%, over four billion people) will be overweight or obese, and one in four people (nearly two billion) will suffer from obesity. The global economic impact of overweight and obesity will reach $4.32 trillion by 2035, representing almost 3% of the global Gross Domestic Product (GDP), a comparable impact to that of COVID-19 in 2020.”

PORTUGAL REJECTS THE NUTRISCORE >>>

he decline in adopting the Mediterranean Diet began between the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century and has since stabilized. Despite increased global interest in this dietary style over the last two decades, there has been no sign of reappropriation of balanced dietary choices among Mediterranean populations and, more generally, in the European region. On the contrary, the consumption of fruit, vegetables, legumes, and fish—the fundamental pillars of this dietary regimen, continues to decrease.”

UNA SFIDA GLOBALE PER IL G7 >>>

“Limited economic resources and low education levels often coincide with a reluctance to adopt a balanced diet and lifestyle. The progressive replacement of free play with organized and scheduled sports and sedentary recreational activities, along with the habitual use of digital devices and social media and the digitalization of social relationships, contribute to sedentary behavior and thus to a greater risk of energy imbalance.

CALLING THE G7 TO ACTION AGAINST OBESITY >>>

“The policies implemented so far, based on reducing the consumption of individual foods, such as front-of-pack nutritional labeling systems, have not achieved the expected results. Predictably, these measures have garnered only superficial support, more aimed at deceiving consumers rather than fostering their critical awareness and cultivating appropriate knowledge and behavior. The analysis of scientific data, which provides clear evidence of their failure, underscores the urgency of revising strategic approaches that shifts the focus from generic solutions to more targeted and personalized interventions. On the contrary, past intervention strategies have been shown to foster unintended negative and hazardous consequences on clinical, psychological and even economic levels.”

Living in Balance: The Madrid Charter

Author

PNR