“This is a long game and CRN has been playing it for the past 11 years,” said James Griffiths, PhD, senior vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs for the Council for Responsible Nutrition.
For the past ten years, the Council for Responsible Nutrition – International has hosted a scientific symposium for the delegates of the annual Codex Alimentarius (Codex) Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses (CCNFSDU). In 2020, the symposium was presented as a webinar series for the first time due to the global pandemic, which prevented a face-to-face meeting.
Cumbersome CODEX process
Griffiths said it takes a long time to influence a public body. And the CODEX meeting, which is a kind of United Nations on nutrition, is perhaps extraordinary in that regard.
The delegates to these meetings often have to appear in the official minutes to justify travel at the taxpayers’ expense. Griffiths said part of the process is sitting through statements and speeches that act mostly as placeholders without losing sight of the ultimate goal of steering global public food policy towards changes leading to a healthier world with less Burden of disease.
“The goal is to move the needle in relation to public order,” Griffiths said. “We’re trying to encourage delegates to do something about public health that will ultimately benefit the whole population.”
The demographic upswing needs innovative solutions
The need to change food policies is becoming more urgent as the world enters an unprecedented era as the population in almost every country is aging. Soon, a “demographic boom” will present policymakers with difficult choices, with more older people caring less for younger people and fewer wage earners paying the taxes to support the whole company.
The causes of this bulge are well known. Modern medicine and sanitation in developed countries has lowered infant mortality and the likelihood of dying young, which has been accompanied by a sharp drop in birth rates.
The aging population is spreading across the world
These changes are now also evident in developing countries. In a recent article detailing the flow of the 2020 CRN-I Symposium, the authors (including Griffiths) presented a case study for Brazil. In the early 1950s, life expectancy at birth in Brazil was just 50 years. Today it has grown to 77 years. At the same time, the fertility rate fell from 6.1 children per woman to 1.7 and is thus well below the reproductive rate of 2.1.
This means that the population of Brazil, like that of many other countries, will peak in the coming decades and then decline.
These changes are well advanced in some developed countries. The population of Italy, for example, is projected to decline from 60 million today to less than 48 million in 2070.
The question then arises of how best to support these aging people. What changes in food policy can be encouraged to keep them as healthy as possible for both their own and their society’s sake?
The paper argues that focusing on certain nutrient intake can benefit this aging group and even the entire population, provided that basic calorie and macronutrient needs are met. It explains the science behind the effects of proteins and amino acids, omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamin D, and includes a discussion of the role of polyphenols in diet.
Protein to fight sarcopenia
Extra protein and / or amino acid intake could play an important role in relieving sarcopenia, the paper argues. Sarcopenia, the gradual breakdown of muscle tissue and loss of strength in the elderly, is a relatively new term that was not coined until the 1990s. However, it is seen as a significant risk factor for loss of independence. The paper notes that a recently developed creatine dilution method for measuring muscle mass is a more accurate measure of the true condition of a person’s musculoskeletal system than simply measuring lean body mass. This includes things like water in tissues that don’t help maintain adequate strength.
Notes on omega-3, vitamin D, polyphenols
Regarding omega-3 fatty acids, the article points out the vital role DHA plays in proper brain development. And in a discussion of the process of establishing a Nutrient Reference Value (NRV) for EPA and DHA, the authors point out the abundant evidence of the long-term cardiovascular health benefits of these nutrients.
The paper also includes a discussion of the science in support of recommending higher vitamin D intake. It also looks at helping support the use of polyphenols to treat “inflammation” or the process by which chronic, mild inflammation can cause people’s “biological age” to increase faster than usual.
“The ultimate goal of this paper and the examples presented is to set, or at least propose, public health goals for regulatory consideration to alleviate, or at least alleviate, the scourges of debilitating health as life expectancy nears our species. Recommended beneficial therapies, including increased protein and amino acid intake, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D in doses above the recommended daily allowance, and (poly) phenols / antioxidants, require further research. Smart consumers could rate the personal benefits of one or more of these academic recommendations and the data would suggest that person could live longer in good health, ”the authors write.
“Society’s response to the aging of the population requires a vision to use the years spent in ‘good health’ (e.g. healthy life expectancy) for those who hope to have extra years of life. Essentially, not just more years to live, but more life to years. A fundamental transformation of public policies and institutions is required to ensure a future that celebrates diversity and reduces health inequalities within and between countries, ”they concluded.
Source: European magazine of nutrition
60, Pages 1–17 (2021)
Science-based policy: targeted nutrition for all ages and the role of bioactive substances
Authors: Kalache A, et al.
