Abstract
The aim of this review was to highlight the current situation of nutrition-related diseases in the Arab countries, and factors associated with prevalence of these diseases. PubMed and Google Scholar were searched for data relating to such nutrition-related diseases published between January 1990 and May 2011. The picture of nutritional status in the Arab countries has changed drastically over the past 30 years as a result of changes in the social and economic situation. Two contrasting nutrition-related diseases exist, those associated with inadequate intake of nutrients and unhealthy dietary habits such as growth retardation among young children and micronutrient deficiencies; and those associated with changes in lifestyle such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, osteoporosis, diabetes and obesity (diet-related non-communicable diseases). Factors contributing to nutritional problems vary from country to country, depending on socio-economic status. In general, unsound dietary habits, poor sanitation, poverty, ignorance and lack of access to safe water and health services are mainly responsible for under-nutrition. Changes in lifestyle and dietary habits as well as inactivity are associated with the occurrence of diet-related non-communicable diseases. Programs to prevent and control nutrition-related diseases are insufficient and ineffective, due mainly to a focus on curative care at the expense of preventive health care services, lack of epidemiological studies, lack of nutritional surveillance, inadequate nutrition information and lack of assessment of the cost-effectiveness of nutrition intervention programs.
Highlights
Nutrition-related diseases manifested by under-nutrition and over-nutrition are leading contributors to the disease burden in the Arab countries
Under-nutrition and micronutrient deficiencies in the Arab Region can manifest themselves in low growth rate in children low birth weight, deficiencies in iron, iodine and vitamins A and D
Use of a multivariate model indicated that low birth weight Egyptian children were about three times more likely to die in infancy than normal weight children [5]
Summary
Nutrition-related diseases manifested by under-nutrition and over-nutrition are leading contributors to the disease burden in the Arab countries. Under-nutrition remains one of the most serious health problems among preschool children and the single main contributor to child mortality in many low and middle income Arab countries. Diet-related non-communicable diseases such as obesity, heart disease, diabetes and cancer have become the main public health problems among adults in almost all the Arab countries. Both under-nutrition and over-nutrition have a great negative impact on social, economic and public health care systems. This review discusses the magnitude of the nutrition-related diseases in the Arab countries, their causes, and the current programmes to overcome these diseases
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