G7: Innovative Policies for a Healthier, Longer Life – Paganini non Ripete 283
On the occasion of the G7 Health Summit, we presented concrete and unconventional proposals to tackle the crisis of obesity and non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Current policies? They’ve failed. Now, we need a multidisciplinary approach that emphasizes individual balance, the foundation of the Mediterranean lifestyle. Discover why we can’t wait any longer and what concrete steps we can take.
G7: Innovative Policies for a Healthier, Longer Life
On the occasion of the G7 Health Summit, together with Prof. Michele Carruba (Center for Obesity Studies and Research, University of Milan), we presented a proposal document to address the dramatic crisis of obesity and non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
THE PROBLEM: OBESITY AND NCDS
Obesity affects over 1 billion people worldwide and could cost the global economy over $4.32 trillion by 2035 (equivalent to 3% of global GDP). This crisis not only threatens public health but also profoundly impacts citizens’ physical and mental well-being and the economic sustainability of governments.
NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES
- Increase in cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and other NCDs – major causes of global mortality.
- Devastating impacts on healthcare costs, productivity, and social well-being.
- Reduced life expectancy. Farewell to the longevity we once hoped for.
FAILURE OF CURRENT POLICIES
Solutions like the Planetary Diet, front-of-package labels (Black Marks, Nutri-Score), and nutrient taxes aren’t working. These are superficial measures that fail to address the multifactorial causes of obesity.
DANGEROUS UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES
These policies standardize diets, limit freedom of choice, and fail to empower citizens/consumers. Rather than encouraging critical thinking, they slow the spread of knowledge, reducing opportunities for informed growth.
A MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACH IS NEEDED
Obesity is a complex problem, with causes that vary from person to person and change over time. Our response must go beyond nutrition and consider psychological, social, economic, and environmental factors. No one-size-fits-all solution will work.
BALANCE IS KEY
The Mediterranean diet is a model of dietary balance and a lifestyle that can be adapted to diverse individual and cultural needs. Customizing diets and empowering citizens to make informed choices is fundamental for lasting change.
OUR PROPOSALS
- Recognize obesity as a chronic disease and treat it accordingly.
- Nutritional education: build awareness starting from schools, involving families, media, and social content creators.
- Multidisciplinary care centers to support patients in the long term.
- Incentives for active lifestyles and the promotion of urban environments that encourage healthy living.
- Use of technology (AI, IoT) to personalize diets and effectively monitor health.
- Promotion of the Mediterranean diet as a model of balanced nutrition.
- Urban environments for balanced living: create spaces that encourage movement and reduce environmental stress.
- Therapy as prevention: new weight-loss medications are revolutionary but should be part of a balanced lifestyle, not an easy solution for uninformed behaviors.
- Dr. Media: Digital media, which has replaced family and school as the primary influence in socialization and education, has the responsibility to simplify complex knowledge. They must avoid the pitfalls of sensationalism for commercial gain or ideological alarmism.
- Media responsibility: Today, digital media partially replaces the traditional role of family and school in socialization and education, holding the responsibility to make complex knowledge accessible and understandable. They must avoid falling into sensationalism for commercial purposes or promoting ideological alarmism, instead fostering balanced, data-driven dissemination.
Last but not least, the monitoring and evaluation of policies is crucial: all public policies should be constantly monitored to assess their effectiveness and correct any negative side effects. Only through this can we ensure continuous and meaningful improvement in combating obesity and NCDs.
