…Health Ministry underscores critical nature of diet, exercise

By Naomi Marshall

THE consumption of sugary and fatty foods is increasing amongst Guyanese, and it may be inferred that persons are not engaged in adequate physical activities.
This sentiment was shared by Guyana’s Food Policy Director, Ministry of Public Health, Dinte Conway, during an interview with Guyana Chronicle.

According to Conway, sugary and fatty food consumption is a huge problem in Guyana, contributing to the country’s high rate of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), which are connected to several risk factors including unhealthy diets and physical inactivity.
A country profile carried out by the World Health Organization, stated that in 2016 Guyana had a number of 6600 deaths of which, 68 percent were due to NCDs.
According to the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) website, NCDs, also known as chronic diseases, tend to be of long duration and are the result of a combination of genetic, physiological, environmental and behavioral factors.

One of the driving forces of NCDs is the globalization of unhealthy lifestyles.
The website stated, “Unhealthy diets and a lack of physical activity may show up in people as raised blood pressure, increased blood glucose, elevated blood lipids and obesity. These are called metabolic risk factors that can lead to cardiovascular disease, the leading NCD in terms of premature deaths.”

Excessive sugar consumption is a key factor in promoting overweight and obesity, tooth decay and diabetes, while the over consumption of trans fatty acids, has been linked with an increased risk of heart disease, infertility, endometriosis, gallstones, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes and some cancers.

Conway stated that in 2002, the Guyana Food Consumption Survey showed the over-consumption of calories in the country, “where we are supposed to be consuming 2500 for a man and 2000 for a woman, we were consuming 2849 and 2738 calories, respectively, and so the calories were coming from too much carbohydrates or starch foods, and too much fatty foods and not the right foods like fruits and vegetables which were being consumed at a lower level than desired.”

In addition, she noted that it is important for Guyanese to read product labels, since enormous amounts of sugars and fats are hidden in a lot of foods.

“You might look at a small packet of something and think that it’s just something small but when you look at the content of the salt, sugar, fat, etc. they are very high; especially the foods that we give our children such as corn curls, chips and cheese stick, juices, etc.,” the Director explained.

Currently, the Ministry of Public Health uses and promotes its ‘Food Based Dietary Guidelines’ which encourages persons to do the following: breast feed exclusively for the first six months, eat different types of food from all the different food groups daily, eat more green and other coloured vegetables daily, eat different kinds of fruits daily, limit the use of sugary foods and sweetened drinks, use more natural seasonings and less salt and salty products, reduce your intake of oily and fatty foods, if you drink alcohol do so in moderation, use at least 30 minutes daily for physical activity.”

The food based dietary guidelines for Guyana were developed in 2002 and revised in 2017 to meet the following population objectives: promote healthy choices with respect to variety, quantity and quality of food and prevent overweight and obesity and reduce the occurrence of non-communicable diseases.

The guidelines also attempt to prevent the development of nutritional deficiencies and promote increased levels of physical activity.

According to the Mayo Clinic’s website, consistent exercise helps avoid or manage many health issues and concerns, including: stroke, metabolic syndrome, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, depression, anxiety, many types of cancer, and arthritis.
It can also help improve cognitive function and helps lower the risk of death from all causes.

In an interview with Guyana Chronicle, Deputy Chief Medical Officer of the Ministry of Public Health, Dr. Karen Boyle, stated that apart from gyms, the seawalls and the National park that persons would normally utilise to carryout physical activates, there is a lot more that has to be done to encourage the partaking in physical activities.

Boyle said that as Guyana develops, more emphasis needs to be placed on the infrastructural design of cities and housing schemes, which should include spaces and places for people to exercise safely.

“We need to have pavements so that people who are not living near to the seawalls, who do not have cars to drive to the seawalls can run, walk, ride bicycles and exercise in their neighbourhoods and feel safe,” Boyle added.

Meanwhile, Conway is assuring the public that the Ministry of Public Health is not attempting to eliminate the use of sugary and fatty foods but it is encouraging persons to limit the consumption of such foods.
Conway said that it’s time Guyanese adjust themselves to healthier methods of cooking. Instead of always deep frying foods for example, she said that persons can bake, roast, grill, boil, steam and stir fry their foods.

She added, “Guyana has a lot of fruits and we can mix the sour one with the sweet ones you don’t have to put sugar, or if you putting sugar, minimal sugar.”

In attempt to help the issue of the over-consumption of sugary and fatty foods, the Ministry of Public health has been conducting outreaches across the country to educate the public on how to live healthier lives.

“We need to be take care of our health as these illnesses put a burden on us, our families and the state. The Ministry of Public Health could give you the healthy tips and advice but at the end of the day you are the one that have to take control of your health,” Conway told this newspaper.