Tackling obesity together now for a healthier tomorrow

The ISA joins forces with the associations of people living with obesity in France (CNAO) and in Portugal (Adexo) in supporting European Obesity Day 2019

Brussels, 16th May 2019: The International Sweeteners Association (ISA) proudly joins forces with the Collectif National des Associations d’Obèses (CNAO – French association for people with obesity) and Adexo (Association of patients and ex-patients with obesity in Portugal) in supporting European Obesity Day on 18th May and the European Association for the Study of Obesity (EASO) related-activities.

Obesity is currently one of the most challenging public health concerns worldwide:

By 2030, it is expected that over half of Europe will have obesity, with up to 89% in some countries¹
39% of adults aged 18 years and over were overweight and about 13% of adults were obese in 2016 worldwide²
Obesity is a major risk factor for chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease, type-2 diabetes, hypertension, coronary heart diseases and certain cancers³

European Obesity Day aims to raise awareness and increase knowledge about obesity and the diseases on which it impacts¹. It is also the opportunity to remind ourselves that obesity is preventable² and that by joining forces we can tackle this public health challenge, together. Although it is often caused by factors largely beyond an individual’s control, common causes of obesity include a combination of an increase in physical inactivity and increased calorie intake, leading to energy imbalance.¹

On the occasion of European Obesity Day, the ISA joined forces this year again with CNAO and Adexo to develop an animated video and an infographic which aim to help raise awareness about obesity and its consequences. Watch the dedicated video below (or click here) and download the related infographic here to learn more about small steps you can take to help you achieve a more balanced, calorie-reduced diet and a healthier lifestyle.

Low calorie sweeteners have a beneficial role to play within a varied and balanced diet. They are no magic bullet, but they can be a helpful tool in the context of an overall weight management programme. As they have virtually no, or very few calories, low calorie sweeteners provide to foods and beverages pleasurable sweet taste with reduced calorie count.⁴ Therefore, they can help adults^5,6 and children⁷ reduce their overall calorie intake and be a useful tool to help manage their body weight⁸, when used instead of sugar, and as part of a varied and balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle. From a wider public health perspective, low calorie sweeteners are a helpful option in food and drink reformulation in support of addressing the global challenge of obesity.

Follow the conversation about European Obesity Day 2019 on social media by using #EOD2019 and #ISA4EOD.

REFERENCES

European Obesity Day 2019. https://www.europeanobesityday.eu
World Health Organization (WHO), Obesity and Overweight: https://www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and-overweight
Eurostat, Overweight and obesity – BMI statistics: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Overweight_and_obesity_-_BMI_statistics
Gibson S, et al. Consensus statement on benefits of low-calorie sweeteners. Nutrition Bulletin. 2014; 39: 386–389.
Extract from publication: “We found a considerable weight of evidence in favour of consumption of LES [low energy sweeteners] in place of sugar as helpful in reducing relative EI [energy intake] and BW [body weight], with no evidence from the many acute and sustained intervention studies in humans that LES increase EI”. Rogers PJ., Hogenkamp PS., de Graaf C., Higgs S., Lluch A., Ness AR., . . . Mela DJ. Does low-energy sweetener consumption affect energy intake and body weight? A systematic review, including meta-analyses, of the evidence from human and animal studies. Int J Obes 2016;40(3):381-94
Gibson S, Drewnowski J, Hill A, Raben B, Tuorila H and Windstrom E. Consensus statement on benefits of low calorie sweeteners. Nutrition Bulletin 2014; 39(4): 386-389
Extract from publication: “replacement of a sugar-containing beverage with a sugar-free beverage significantly reduced weight gain and body fat gain in healthy children”. de Ruyter, JC., Olthof, MR., Seidell, JC., & Katan, MB.. A trial of sugar-free or sugar-sweetened beverages and body weight in children. N Engl J Med 2012;367(15):1397–1406
Extract from publication: “results provide support for the use of NNS [non-nutritive sweeteners] beverages as a tool to help with weight loss and maintenance”. Peters, J. C., Beck, J., Cardel, M., Wyatt, H. R., Foster, G. D., Pan, Z., . . . Hill, J. O. (2016). The effects of water and non-nutritive sweetened beverages on weight loss and weight maintenance: A randomized clinical trial. Obesity (Silver Spring), 24(2), 297-304.