The nutrition transition and the double burden of malnutrition

Chronic noncommunicable diseases are increasingly frequent in low- and medium-income countries, but problems of malnutrition, such as growth restriction in children or micronutrient deficiencies in both children and adults, persist in these same countries. This double burden of malnutrition and the emergence of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes strain healthcare systems and constitute a sometimes unbearable load for the countries concerned, for the government, but also for the individuals affected and their families. This double burden is often associated with the nutrition transition or the progression away from the local traditional diet towards a Westernized diet frequently high in fat, salt, and sugar, with low nutritional density. This transition is attributed to worldwide changes in dietary systems expressed by an increased availability of foodstuffs marketed across the planet, such as vegetable oils, sugars, and refined flours, but also the multiplication of points of sale of food that has been processed, even ultraprocessed. The efforts to battle this scourge must take into account the complexity of the phenomenon and the many factors associated with it. A systemic approach that considers the global forces governing the food systems must be promoted. Actions concerning nutrition must therefore emphasize simultaneously the problems of undernutrition and of overnutrition. WHO labels these interventions "double duty actions."