27^th World Congress on Diet, Nutrition and Obesity September 7- 8, 2018 Auckland, New Zealand

Overweight and obesity are defined as irregular or excessive fat accumulation that may impair health. According to the WHO fact sheet globally, since 1975 the number of people suffering from obesity has tripled. In 2016, more than 1.9 billion adults were overweight out of which 650 million were obese. The main reason of obesity and overweight is due to the imbalance between the calories consumed and spent. World-wide rise of obesity is mainly due to an increased intake of fast food and lack of physical activity due to the onset of urbanization.

Obesity is one of the leading health problems in today’s world being responsible for numerous deaths globally. People suffering from obesity have a very high risk of suffering from various life taking chronic diseases. Unfortunately, people have subdued to crash diet and pills which cause rapid decease in weight and nutritional deficiencies and have shown to negatively affect their health and appetite. A healthy balanced diet with a proper exercise regimen will help the people suffering from obesity to lose weight at a proper and steady pace. It also helps in boosting their overall health by inducing energy and immunity.

Tackling obesity is very essential because including physical changes it can also lead to potentially life-threatening chronic conditions such as cancers, coronary heart diseases and type 2 diabetes. Based on the severity, the life span of a person suffering from obesity is reduced by an average of 3 to 10 years. Statistical research data indicates that in Europe 1 in every 13 deaths is because of being obese and overweight. 

As much as obesity is a physical problem it is also a psychological problem. Psychological issues are a warning for the development of obesity and it will also lead to problems during the on-going weight control struggle. Psychological assessment has become mandatory in the multi-disciplinary approach which also includes bariatric surgery. Recently cognitive therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy have become an important approach for the treatment of obesity. The achievement of considerable weight loss by surgical or non-surgical means is crucially related to a person’s ability to make changes in one’s habits and lifestyle which not only involves a proper diet and exercise regimen exercise, but also management of emotional and psychological stress.

Due to the onset of urbanization the fresh market source is disappearing and more of processed food is being utilized by the public. High increase in the consumption of dairy and poultry is also seen throughout the world.  Due to such transitions in the diet several negative health implications are seen in in the public due to the presence of harmful components in food like pesticide, antibiotic residues and chemical fertilizers. The recent studies showed that genetically modified food have reported to increase obesity in the population. Due to increasing awareness and lifestyle changes people have now started opting for organic and homemade food. But due to the economics involved for the cultivation of organic food, it becomes difficult for the outreach of these foods.

Proper amount of food and nutrition during the early stages of a child's development is essential for the proper growth of a child. Any nutritional deficiency at this vital stage may lead to health implications in the later stages of their life. Due to lifestyle changes and urbanization, children are prone to less physical activity and more sedentary lifestyle due to which childhood obesity is on the rise. Recent research on obesity in children indicated that the time spent by children watching TV is proportional with their consumption of the most advertised food items. Childhood obesity can badly affect a child's physical and mental health leading to poor academic performance and low self-esteem.

Along with giving importance on pregnancy and birth, considering a women's health and nutritional status during early life and adult life is important to reduce the risks associated during pregnancy. Providing required nutrition before the reproductive years will ensure healthy pregnancy and post-menopausal period. Hence maintaining appropriate nutritional status of a women will ensure a healthy life for her and her offspring. Women should also be educated about balanced diets to promote healthy eating regimen and ideal nutritional status.

Malnutrition is a major global problem and initiatives should be taken by the national Governments to prevent the conditions of under-nutrition and over-nutrition. The condition of over-nutrition is distributed widely around the world and under-nutrition is most commonly seen in patients under health care. Routine screening for malnutrition is very much essential for patients in hospitals and out- patient clinics. Effective health treatment for people suffering from obesity will also lead to healthy benefits and also proper nutritional support for people suffering from malnutrition will lead to good clinical outcomes and reduced mortality rates worldwide which will lead to significant cost savings for the health care sector globally. Due to the prevalence of food insecurity around the world people are unable to meet the basic dietary demands of their body which leads to a condition of nutrition insecurity.

Eating disorder is a condition in which a person eats too much or consumes insufficient food leading to health complications. With the ascent of westernization, scientific innovations and social reforms the idea of a perfect lifestyle and body shape is on the main checklist. According to the survey conducted by the National Eating Disorder Association around the word 70 million people are prone to eating disorders. Since 1990's dietary problems have been progressively regular in Singapore.

The energy requirement for sports individual is different from a normal person hence they should have a different diet plan. It increases when they are playing sports. Hence an athlete should make dietary changes not just to perform for a particular game but to match his/her long-term necessities. A proper nutritional diet for a games individual comprises of at least 2000 calories for each day.  The glycemic Index has now become an important part in an athlete’s diet plan. A healthy eating regimen will provide the athlete with the required energy and boost both on the field and during practice sessions.

Around the world the use of processed food is on high point. Eating processed food on a regular basis will have side effects on our health. Processing the food will remove the necessary nutrients from the food leaving an item with low calories and very less nutrient value. The additives present in processed food are thought to compromise our body's normal functioning and are found to cause high blood pressure and cancer. According to the study published in the Journal of the World Public Health and Nutrition Association the main cause of obesity world-wide is due to the rise in consumption of Ultra-processed food items.

Food allergy is body's immune response to certain food items whereas food intolerance is a body's chemical reaction towards a food item. Food allergies are on the rise particularly in school going children especially peanut allergy. Food allergies may be life threatening. Food intolerance is not involved with the immune system and does not cause severe allergic reactions. Food intolerance may lead to irritable bowel syndrome, asthma or chronic fatigue.

Obesity can be managed by combination of lifestyle change, exercise and healthy diet plans.  In case of severe Obesity bariatric surgery and medications will be employed. People who have gone through bariatric surgery which have suppressed hunger and the mechanism for which causes obesity based type 2 diabetes is reversed and it also causes sixty to eighty percent weight loss for a long term. But it has it cons that is it may cause some post-surgery complications and essential loss of nutrients in the body. People who don't want to go under the needle can opt for natural methods like yoga and naturopathy to increase the metabolism of fat and revive the organs in the body to function normally.

Clinical nutrition is essential for patients in healthcare to deal with sickness, injuries, surgery and for proper recovery. It helps in preventing malnutrition, restoring body tissue and boosting energy and immunity in the body. It can be provided with a proper diet plan and feeding the patient with essential foods that revive the patient’s body the patient can also be given healthy supplements for proteins, vitamins etc. The preferred route of nutrition administration is oral although parenteral and enteral routes are also followed.

Earlier nutrition market was concentrated of products for treatment of malnutrition condition but now due to innovations in the healthcare sector and due rising awareness among the people the market for nutritional products like healthy supplements, organic food and functional food has increased. The transitional change in the lifestyle of people and due to the rising number of people suffering from various chronic ailments has led the public to intake additional nutritional supplements to boost their energy and immunity.

Nutrition plays an important role in determining the health of a person. What we are is what we eat. Every person has a different genetic makeup and the nutrients react differently to each person’s genes. The science of Nutrigenomics deals with the study of how genes react to different nutrients in food and how this variation will influence diseases like cancer. By understanding a person’s genetic make-up a nutritionist can deduce a diet plan which is beneficial to treat a particular disease. Hence nutrigenomics can be called as the future of nutrition.

Food borne illness is caused to due food contaminated or spoiled due to pathogenic microorganisms due to which an infected individual will suffer from fever, vomiting, diarrhea etc. The illness can also be caused due to chemicals or toxins which will be present in the food. Till date more than 250 food borne illnesses have been identified around the world and in the United States of America around forty eight million people suffer from food borne illnesses every year. Hence it is necessary to deduce proper and efficient food safety methods to decrease the rate of uptake of people suffering from food borne illnesses.

Functional foods are those which have been processed to aid in specific body functions along with providing nutrition. Nutraceuticals have the same definition but in addition they are formulated as pharmaceutical drugs. The functional food industry is developing at a rapid pace due to the increasing awareness of people towards a healthy lifestyle. A customer’s interest towards the connection between food and drugs has expanded the nutraceuticals market.

Many chronic diseases are now caused due to the insufficient uptake of certain vitamins and minerals in our body. Many research innovations are now creating simple and nutrition filled food that gives overall nutrition to human body. Food technology research has reached an advanced the nutrition research field. Food technologists are now working on Superfoods which will not get spoilt easily and will also provide essential nutrients to the body. As of now, the global health crisis is divided into people suffering with obesity and other is people suffering from malnutrition, so research in food that will provide the essential benefits for both the parties, guarantees a maximum solution to the global health crisis.