Monthly focus

Modern-day malnutrition

02 May 2019

More than half of Europeans are either overweight or obese, despite the availability of fresh food. Image credit - Jakub Kapusnak/ unsplash

How did European eating habits go so wrong? We have a plentiful supply of fresh food yet, according to Eurostat, one in every two people in Europe is either overweight or obese, leading to problems such as cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and lifestyle-related diabetes. In May, we delve into the complex science of healthy eating to understand how to tackle modern-day malnutrition. We speak to public health expert Knut-Inge Klepp about the complex factors determining food choice and how to improve the diet of teenagers. We find out how scientists are working to improve the zinc content of crops to prevent the ‘hidden hunger’ of micronutrient deficiency and look at the importance of widening the diversity of grains that we eat – both for our health and for the environment. We also explore what’s behind the nutritional self-sabotage of eating disorders.

Teenagers in countries such as Norway are being enlisted to tackle childhood obesity. Image credit - Therese Wardenær Bakke

interview | health

13 May 2019

‘Teenagers are going to be the ones to beat childhood obesity’

Teenagers rarely have a say in the public health policies that concern them, but we can’t halt the childhood obesity problem without working with them, says Professor Knut-Inge Klepp, executive director of the mental and physical health division at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.

Modifying sorghum so that it releases zinc more easily could help tackle micronutrient deficiency. Image credit - Schwoaze, Pixabay

health

02 May 2019

Boosting nutrients in crops to beat ‘hidden hunger’ of poor diet

Boosting the levels of micronutrients like zinc in popular grain crops could help to reduce a ‘hidden hunger’ experienced by millions of people across Europe and around the world.

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Modern-day malnutrition

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‘Teenagers are going to be the ones to beat childhood obesity’