Solutions to the double burden of malnutrition also generate health and environmental benefits.

Present food consumption patterns will intensify pressure on natural resources, while poor nutrition is expected to prevail at both low and high levels of calorie consumption. To better understand the interplay between food security, environment and health, we use an integrated framework that allows for the analysis of the dynamics of the double burden of malnutrition and its health and environmental impacts by 2050. We find that excessive caloric intake will be key in rising body mass index levels, particularly in emerging economies. Because higher levels of body mass index will be reached at younger ages, future cohorts will increase their exposure to health risks, including coronary heart disease, stroke, site-specific cancers and type 2 diabetes. This framework also offers insights into the health, food and environmental security impacts of changing food demand behaviour. We find that reductions in food purchasing-associated with the mitigation of food waste and excessive food intake-are more important than changes in dietary composition in increasing food affordability and reducing pressure on cropland expansion, whereas dietary composition is critical in driving greenhouse gas emissions.

Structural responses to the obesity epidemic in Latin America: what are the next steps for food and physical activity policies?

Obesity is among the most complex public health challenges, particularly in Latin America, where obesity rates have increased faster than in any other region. Many countries have proposed or enacted comprehensive policies to promote adequate diet and physical activity under a structural framework. We summarize articles discussing the scope and impact of recently implemented obesity-related interventions in the light of a structural response framework. Overall, we find that: (1) market-based food interventions, including taxes on junk food, nutrition labelling, and marketing restrictions, decrease the consumption of targeted foods, (2) programs directly providing healthy foods are effective in reducing obesity, and (3) the construction of public areas for recreation increases the average frequency of physical activity. Although obesity-related interventions in the region have somewhat improved health behaviours, obesity prevalence remains on an upward trend. We discuss some opportunities to continue tackling the obesity epidemic in LATAM under a structural framework.