We now know that many chronic diseases with nutritional implications could be avoided through nutrition. Sometimes, simply through prevention. Tomorrow, through a curative approach? If consumers can project themselves into their future health, they will fully appreciate what nutrition allows them to control.

Neither a completely exact science nor a single factor, is nutrition what we expected it to be? optimize our health system and, why not, reach a new level in terms of life expectancy?
We believe it is about leading the nutritional transition, towards lifestyle habits that are more protective of our health, especially in the current health context.

 

When the pandemic threatens

As the show approaches Natexpo (the international organic products fair) which starts on Monday, September 21, the team Culture Nutrition offers you a review of initiatives that are rooted in preventative nutrition.

422 million people. That's the number of diabetics in the world. A number that has doubled since 1980 and is expected to reach 640 million by 2040.[1]In France, we are not left behind with our 3,3 million diabeticsWe're now talking about a global epidemic, and the WHO considers diabetes one of the world's leading killers. A killer, yes, but a silent killer. Because we're only talking about those diagnosed. How many are unaware?

Among these chronic diseases with nutritional implications, non-communicable diseases or even diseases of civilization, diabetes is not the only culprit. Cardiovascular diseases (1^e cause of death worldwide), cancers (18 million new cases in 2018[2]) and obesity (1,9 billion overweight adults worldwide[3]) are obviously at the heart of the concerns.

 

Prevention through weight management

We've never been so far removed from the cliché of thinness as we are today! Today, managing your weight effectively means maintaining a healthy weight over the long term. This involves changing eating habits, but also innovations that support consumers in their efforts. At Natexpo, Thera Sana (stand G38), for example, will be presenting gourmet spirulina flakes Gourmet Spirulina, to sprinkle and chew. A way to benefit from the advantages of spirulina, such as its richness in proteins or its antioxidant role, while promoting satiety.

In favor of weight management, the ketogenic diet is also very promising. It is very much in line with what we call the decarbing. Or how current nutritional care favors good fats and advocates a very demanding selection of carbohydrates, in quantity and quality. And high added-value fats are very present at the Natexpo show. We notably find Biofuture (F133) with its Quintesens tailor-made health oils or the Vigean oil mill (G90) with its Forté Omega 3 oil. These innovations are a symbol of what we call nutritional transition, or how our food is evolving in its composition towards the less but better. The ideal plate of the moment could be defined as: less sugars; more good fats, fibers, vegetable proteins and polyphenols.

 

Democratizing the importance of inflammatory and oxidative cycles

Nutritional prevention also involves mastering the deep mechanisms of our body, which are: inflammation and oxidative balance. Indeed, the appearance of certain cancers is correlated with inflammation or chronic oxidative stress. Just as obesity is an inflammatory pathology. However, we now know that nutrition can help regulate these phenomena in our body. At Natexpo 2020, you will be able to discover Oemine (K30) and its krill oil Superba Boost with anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant action. Or Green Season (E74) with its antioxidant drinks based on polyphenolsIf there is one thing to remember about this aspect of inflammation-oxidation, it is the democratization of these notions which are beginning to resonate in the minds of consumers.

 

The microbiome to the rescue of our health?

Interest in the microbiome, that is, the ecosystem that inhabits us, is growing. Knowledge in the field allows us to affirm that our microbiome directly influences the appearance (or not) of diseases such as obesity, IBD, certain mental disorders, etc. Interest in the microbiome is very visible on the scale of the market of food supplements, with an increase of +27% expected by 2023¹. But of course also on the food market (probiotic-based yogurts are expected to grow by +21%¹). In this idea, the Fermented food are enjoying real popularity thanks to their clean label properties, but also because they nourish the microbiome. There are many innovations in the field, but at Natexpo, you can discover, for example, the drink Kombucha from Crazy Island (N149).

 

Nutrition can do everything: prevent, but also cure!

Yes yes, we wrote it correctly cure ! Impossible, you might say? Not according to some innovative start-ups and projects like Virta Health or Valbiotis. These companies are working on developing solutions capable of overthrow certain diseases such as type 2 diabetes, previously considered irreversible. With this in mind, the Optijourney solution (Nestlé HealthScience) is based on a coaching based on ketogenic diet, which allows diabetic patients to control their blood sugar levels without drug treatment.

The size of the market facing these solutions is no longer in doubt: it is on a par with the prevalence of chronic disease epidemics. If a few players in the food, nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, and healthcare sectors get involved, then we will initiate a real transformation of our health paradigm. And we will give nutrition the central place it deserves, by integrating it as a prevention and treatment solution.

 

[1] Data updated in 2016 – World Health Organization (WHO), International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and National Institute for Public Health Surveillance (INVS)
[2] According to Cancer Today, WHO
[3] According to the WHO