Agriculture Policy Is Health Policy

Jackson, Richard J.; Minjares, Ray; Naumoff, Kyra S.; Shrimali, Bina Patel; Martin, L.

doi:10.1080/19320240903321367

Cited by 37 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 27 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Since agricultural policy changes in the 1970s (the origin for today's policies), food supplythe amount of energy available to the population -has increased from 9075 kJ (2169 kcal)/person per d in 1970 to 10 853 kJ (2594 kcal)/person per d in 2009 (40) , with the largest increase seen in refined grains (782 kJ (187 kcal)) and added fats and oils (703 kJ (168 kcal)). At the same time, the USA does not produce enough healthy foods (whole grains, fruits and vegetables) to meet the nutritional needs of the population in accordance with federal recommendations (41) . Since the agricultural sector of the US economy produces roughly 80 % of the foods that Americans eat (39) -for example, only 8 % of vegetables and 23 % of fruits consumed in the USA are imported (24) domestic production is important.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The contribution of subsidized food commodities to total energy intake among US adults

Siegel

Bullard

Ali

et al. 2015

Public Health Nutr.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objective: The contribution of subsidized food commodities to total food consumption is unknown. We estimated the proportion of individual energy intake from food commodities receiving the largest subsidies from 1995 to 2010 (corn, soyabeans, wheat, rice, sorghum, dairy and livestock). Design: Integrating information from three federal databases (MyPyramid Equivalents, Food Intakes Converted to Retail Commodities, and What We Eat in America) with data from the 2001-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, we computed a Subsidy Score representing the percentage of total energy intake from subsidized commodities. We examined the score's distribution and the probability of having a 'high' (≥70th percentile) v. 'low' (≤30th percentile) score, across the population and subgroups, using multivariate logistic regression. Setting: Community-dwelling adults in the USA. Subjects: Participants (n 11 811) aged 18-64 years. Results: Median Subsidy Score was 56·7 % (interquartile range 47·2-65·4 %). Younger, less educated, poorer, and Mexican Americans had higher scores. After controlling for covariates, age, education and income remained independently associated with the score: compared with individuals aged 55-64 years, individuals aged 18-24 years had a 50 % higher probability of having a high score (P <0·0001). Individuals reporting less than high-school education had 21 % higher probability of having a high score than individuals reporting college completion or higher (P = 0·003); individuals in the lowest tertile of income had an 11 % higher probability of having a high score compared with individuals in the highest tertile (P = 0·02). Conclusions: Over 50 % of energy in US diets is derived from federally subsidized commodities. Keywords Dietary intake Subsidized food commodities Obesity Diabetes National Health and Nutrition Examination SurveysIn the USA, 26 % and 14 % of mortality and disabilityadjusted life years, respectively, are related to our dietary patterns (1) . Traditionally, diets high in total energy, refined carbohydrates, and red and processed meats have been implicated in the development of obesity, diabetes and common co-morbidities, particularly CVD (2)(3)(4) , while diets high in fruit and vegetables are associated with reduced risks (5,6) . Currently, more than one-third (36 %) of American adults are obese (7) and 12 % have diabetes (8) , while heart disease is the leading cause of death (9) . Finding suitable policy interventions that positively influence the nation's diet and resulting cardiometabolic health has been challenging. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and US Department of Health and Human Services set nutritional recommendations that encourage consumption of diets high in fruits and vegetables and lower in energy, sugar, salt and saturated fat, but a recent report suggests that the majority of Americans do not meet these dietary guidelines (10) . Moreover, current US agricultural policies promote the production of refined grains, dairy and meat products. Fro...

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The contribution of subsidized food commodities to total energy intake among US adults

Siegel

Bullard

Ali

et al. 2015

Public Health Nutr.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…As a result, “commodity” crops cover nearly 70% of US cropland and their abundance has undoubtedly contributed to their low cost. This in turn has changed corporate behavior and consumer consumption patterns towards those that favor the obesity and diabetes epidemic 40, 41 . For example, the overabundance of corn has led to the emergence of inexpensive corn-based sweeteners such as high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) which comprises of ~55% fructose and ~45% sucrose (as opposed to table sugar which is 50% sucrose and 50% fructose).…”

Section: Major Drivers Of the Obesity And Diabetes Epidemicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Epidemiology of Obesity and Diabetes and Their Cardiovascular Complications

Bhupathiraju

2016

Circulation Research

687

442

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Obesity and diabetes have reached epidemic proportions in the past few years. In 2011–2012, more than a third of the US population was obese. Although recent trend data indicate that the epidemic has “leveled off”, prevalence of abdominal obesity continues to rise, especially among adults. As seen for obesity, the past few decades have seen a doubling of the diabetes incidence with an increasing number of type 2 diabetes cases being diagnosed in children. Significant racial and ethnic disparities exist in the prevalence and trends of obesity and diabetes. In general, in both adults and children, non-Hispanic blacks and Mexican Americans appear to be at a high risk than their non-Hispanic white counterparts. Secular changes in agricultural policies, diet, food environment, physical activity, and sleep have all contributed to the upward trends in the “diabesity” epidemic. Despite marginal improvements in physical activity and the US diet, the food environment has changed drastically to an “obesogenic” one with increased portion sizes and limited access to healthy food choices especially for disadvantaged populations. Interventions that improve the food environment are critical as both obesity and diabetes raise the risk of cardiovascular disease by nearly two-fold. Among those with type 2 diabetes, significant sex differences occur in the risk of cardiovascular disease such that diabetes completely eliminates or attenuates the advantages of being female. Given the substantial burden of obesity and diabetes, future research efforts should adopt a translational approach to find sustainable and holistic solutions in preventing these costly diseases.

show abstract

“…They influence the cost of commodities (e.g., fruits, vegetables) and the ingredients that are used in processed foods (e.g., sugar, fat). This directly and indirectly influences the avail-10 From Nutrients to Nurturance ability and affordability of more or less healthful foods (Jackson et al 2009;Muller et al 2009). Current methods of food production and agricultural waste management pose major threats to the environment in terms of both resource utilization and contamination, leading to calls for more locally produced food and more ecologically sustainable approaches (Lang and Heasman 2004;Muller et al 2009).…”

Section: Food Policymentioning

confidence: 99%