Sustainable diets: The intersection of human and planetary health, Jose Saavedra

In the last years, there have been remarkable improvements in decreasing child mortality and extending life expectancy. Chronic malnutrition, including stunting, has been reduced globally by more than 60%. Nevertheless, acute malnutrition remains high above 7% while obesity continues to increase worldwide with more cases of obese children surpassing underweight individuals. Disability and deaths related to noncommunicable diseases have likewise risen from 61% to more than 74% in 2019. Moreover, 77% of NCD-related deaths occurred in low- and middle-income countries. Despite the advances in science and technology in food production, more than 2.5 billion individuals still cannot afford a nutrient-sufficient diet, and more than 3.3 billion cannot afford a healthy diet. This lack of a healthy, diverse diet correlates with the nutritional status of the world. Multiple simultaneous interactions between health risks and climate change threaten to reverse years of progress in public health and sustainable development. The necessary reduction in greenhouse gas emissions to decrease climate change will not be possible with changes in agricultural production and in dietary habits at a global level.