Environmental factors affecting nutritional status in urban areas of developing countries / Factores ambientales que afectan los estatus nutricionales en las áreas urbanas de países desarrollados

The demographic and economic transition that many developing countries are undergoing is producing important changes in diet and lifestyle that greatly impact on disease risks. Among the risks behaviors associated with socieconomic transition and urbanization are excessive dietary fat intake, sedentary lifestyle, smoking, and environmental contamination. Contamination. Combined with a reduced infant mortality and increased life expectancy, those risk factors lead to an increasing prevalence of chronic diseases like non-insulin dependent diabetes and coronary heart disease. This disease profile is a relatively new phenomenon in developing countries, where health programs have traditionally focused on "acute" interventions such as immunization or oral rehydration. A new approach will be needed to address chronic diseases. which frequenthy demand a life-long and technically complex medical management, and may have significant impact on the quality of life and productivity of the population. Efforts to address this situation should focus on a) expanding the information base on diet, nutritional status and lifestyle changes in populations migrating to urban areas; b) developing and evaluating approaches for improving diet quality in urban population, including fortification and community-based supplementation programs; c) understanding better the social and behavioral determinants of nutritional status in the urban poor; and d) defining the role of the food industry and of agricultural production for improving the quality of the food supply in urban areas

Consumo de energia y caracteristicas alimentarias del hombre y mujer tipo en la ciudad de La Paz / Consuption energy and charasteristics alimentary of the man and woman type in the city of La Paz

Se estudiaron las caracteristicas alimentarias del "Hombre Tipo" de la Ciudad de La Paz, observandose que el promedio de consumo energetico en 24 horas por los primeros es deficiente en 26% y las segunda 17% respecto al promedio recomendado por la FAO/OMS. La ingesta energetica del desayuno es insuficiente o ausente, tanto para el mantenimiento de las condiciones basales como para la realizacion de actividad fisica, y ello estaria condicionando un estado reiterativo de malnutricion durante las mananas. La participacion de proteinas representa 14.8 % del contenido energetico de la dieta diaria; el hombre-tipo consume 79g/dia y la mujer 69g/dia. Los carbohidratos componen 56 % de la energia de la dieta del hombre y 61% en mujeres. La ingestion de lipidos fue 69.5g/dia en hombres y 64.5g/dia en mujeres, su ausencia e insuficiencia en el desayuno estaria produciendo cambios en composicion y movimiento dinamico de la bilis.