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HEAD TO HEAD: Stephen D Sugarman Should we use regulation to demand improved public health outcomes from industry? Yes BMJ 2008; 337: a1750 [Full text]

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We Are All Responsible for Community Health

Carlos K. B. Ferrari, Adenilda C. Honorio-França, Eduardo L. França   (6 October 2008)

We Are All Responsible for Community Health 6 October 2008
Carlos K. B. Ferrari, Adjunct Professor of Human Nutrition and Human Pathology IUNIARAGUAIA, Federal University of Mato Grosso(UFMT). Rod.MT100, Km3,5, Pontal, 78698-000,MT,Brazil, Adenilda C. Honorio-França, Eduardo L. França Send response to journal: Re: We Are All Responsible for Community Health	Dear Editor, if the industry has the freedom to explore the human markets and sell their products they are are not exempt from the ethical obligation to preserve human safety and health. Unfortunately this is not the truth. Environmental concerns are linked to many industrial activities. Environmental pollution and/or direct human contamination by manufacturing products is a serious concern because globalization weakened regulations in order to improve the commerce. Let´s take the case of food industry. This industry has been sucessfully produced good and tasty products, but has also been responsible for delivering many junk foods. Food industry should reduce and/or eliminate the use of trans fatty acids, reduce the size of food portions, reduce fat and caloric content, reduce the use of excessive amount of refined sugars and improve the nutrient value of processing foods. Today we live a serious epidemic of obesity and metabolic syndrome [central obesity, hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemias, and renal failure](1-3) and the food industry are not exempt from responsibilities. Although lack of exercise is an important contributor to this epidemic (4), fast-food chains and sof-drink industry are also responsible for this catastrophe. Our children are frequently exposed and induced to eat high fat snacks and soft drinks which is inversely associated with fruit and vegetable intake(5). We believe that serious corporations must donate financial resources as well as change their manufacturing practices in order to improve food products and contribute to hinder obesity and its complications (many years lost due to disease)(6). 1. Alberti KGMM, Zimmet P, Shaw J. Metabolic syndrome – a new world-wide definition. A consensus statement from the International Diabetes Federation. Diabet Med 2006;23:469-80. 2. International Diabetes Federation (2006). The IDF Consensus worldwide definition of the metabolic syndrome. IDF, Brussels: 24p. 3. Ferrari CKB. Update: Pathophysiology and Clinics of Metabolic Syndrome. Arq Catar Med 2007; 36: 90-5. 4. Ferrari CKB. Functional Foods and Physical Activities in Health Promotion of Aging People. Maturitas 2007; 58: 327-39. 5. Jiménez-Cruz A, Bacardí-Gascón M, Jones EG. Consumption of fruits, vegetables, soft drinks, and high-fat containing snacks among Mexican children on the Mexico-US border. Arch Med Res 2002;33:74-80. 6. Fontaine KR, Redden DT, Wang C, Westfall AO, Allison DB (2003). Years if life lost due to obesity. JAMA 289: 187-93. Competing interests: None declared