UAE residents need to significantly up their fruit and vegetable intake after the country scored poorly in a major global study on healthy eating, medics say.
Many of the unhealthy dietary habits highlighted in the latest research are commonly seen in the UAE, according to top public health expert Dr Abdishakur Abdulle, the associate director of the Public Health Research Centre at New York University Abu Dhabi.
Published in the medical journal The Lancet and funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the research says that around 11 million deaths each year globally, or one in five of the total, result from an unhealthy diet.
The work was carried out by more than 130 scientists from around the world and has generated particular interest because of the finding that poor diet kills more people than smoking, which has a global annual death toll of eight million.
Another finding is that not eating enough healthy foods, such as whole grains and fruits, is a bigger cause of death than eating too much unhealthy food, such as sugar and certain types of fat.
Among the 195 countries looked at, the UAE is in the second-from-worst category in terms of deaths annually from poor diet, with between 313 and 397 people per 100,000 of the population estimated to die each year because of unhealthy eating.
In some countries, such as Japan, France and Spain, fewer than 105 people per 100,000 of the population die annually as a result of poor diet.
Dr Abdulle, who was not involved with the study, said that many of the research findings were relevant to the UAE, because key dietary bad practices that have been highlighted – particularly eating too much salt, and eating too little whole grains and fruit and vegetables – are prevalent here.
“The findings of this article are absolutely timely and very important for this country and elsewhere in the region,” he said.
He said the study “highlights important dietary risk factors amenable to change”.
“A recent article on adolescent eating behaviours reported that only 28 percent of the participants met the recommended daily fruit and vegetable intake,” he said.
“We also know that diets rich in fruit and vegetables are high in potassium and are shown to be associated with favourable health outcomes. Equally important, high potassium, mainly from fruits and vegetables, may limit the adverse effects of sodium [salt] consumption.”
Poor diet is partly the cause of the UAE’s high rates of cardiovascular disease, which is reportedly responsible for about one in three deaths in the country. This is a much higher rate than in many other countries, among them the United Kingdom, where official figures show that heart disease causes one in nine deaths.
The paper in The Lancet has been produced as part of the Global Burden of Disease Study, which is based at the University of Washington.
Of the approximately 11 million deaths caused by poor diet each year, it found that about 10 million involved cardiovascular disease, while 900,000 involved cancer and approaching 340,000 were the result of type 2 diabetes.
Dr Abdulle said that it was important to carry out further research locally to better understand the effects here of dietary risk factors on heart disease and diabetes, the latter of which affects about one in five of the UAE population.
The UAE has been carrying out its own comprehensive research into public health, the UAE Healthy Future Study, which aims to involve 20,000 Emirati participants and will look at, for example, risk factors for heart disease and diabetes.
“The Public Health Research Centre at NYU Abu Dhabi is currently leading a major national study, the UAE Healthy Future Study, in collaboration with many other academics and non-academic national institutions to provide answers to these specific questions,” said Dr Abdulle.
Milda Al Hawari, a nutritionist and dietician at the CosmeSurge clinic at Julphar Towers, Ras Al Khaimah, said that many people in the UAE ate junk food “to deal with mood swings and stay happy”.
“They fail to understand that wrong food choices now can lead to long-term health problems like cardiovascular disease, cancer and type 2 diabetes,” she said.
She said many unhealthy foods, such as pizzas, burgers and chips, which are high in calories, fat and sodium, “have no nutrients required by the body for its essential functions”.
“It is vital to choose healthy food from all food group such as vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts, low-fat milk [and] seafood,” she said, saying these foods were high in vitamins and healthy forms of fat.
Springtime in a Broken Mirror,
Mario Benedetti, Penguin Modern Classics
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
SPECS
Nissan 370z Nismo
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Power: 363hp
Torque: 560Nm
Price: Dh184,500
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The biog
Age: 59
From: Giza Governorate, Egypt
Family: A daughter, two sons and wife
Favourite tree: Ghaf
Runner up favourite tree: Frankincense
Favourite place on Sir Bani Yas Island: “I love all of Sir Bani Yas. Every spot of Sir Bani Yas, I love it.”
FIGHT CARD
Sara El Bakkali v Anisha Kadka (Lightweight, female)
Mohammed Adil Al Debi v Moaz Abdelgawad (Bantamweight)
Amir Boureslan v Mahmoud Zanouny (Welterweight)
Abrorbek Madaminbekov v Mohammed Al Katheeri (Featherweight)
Ibrahem Bilal v Emad Arafa (Super featherweight)
Ahmed Abdolaziz v Imad Essassi (Middleweight)
Milena Martinou v Ilham Bourakkadi (Bantamweight, female)
Noureddine El Agouti v Mohamed Mardi (Welterweight)
Nabil Ouach v Ymad Atrous (Middleweight)
Nouredin Samir v Zainalabid Dadachev (Lightweight)
Marlon Ribeiro v Mehdi Oubahammou (Welterweight)
Brad Stanton v Mohamed El Boukhari (Super welterweight
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Brief scores:
Toss: Australia, chose to bat
Australia: 272-9 (50 ov)
Khawaja 100, Handscomb 52; Bhuvneshwar 3-48
India: 237 (50 ov)
Rohit 56, Bhuvneshwar 46; Zampa 3-46
Player of the Match: Usman Khawaja (Australia)
Player of the Series: Usman Khawaja (Australia)
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Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Scoreline
Saudi Arabia 1-0 Japan
Saudi Arabia Al Muwallad 63’
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Company%20profile
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Expo details
Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia
The world fair will run for six months from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.
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More than 30,000 volunteers are required for Expo 2020
The site covers a total of 4.38 sqkm, including a 2 sqkm gated area
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
FIXTURES
Fixtures for Round 15 (all times UAE)
Friday
Inter Milan v AS Roma (11.45pm)
Saturday
Atalanta v Verona (6pm)
Udinese v Napoli (9pm)
Lazio v Juventus (11.45pm)
Sunday
Lecce v Genoa (3.30pm)
Sassuolo v Cagliari (6pm)
SPAL v Brescia (6pm)
Torino v Fiorentina (6pm)
Sampdoria v Parma (9pm)
Bologna v AC Milan (11.45pm)
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Billie Holliday: for the burn and also the way she told stories.
Thelonius Monk: for his earnestness.
Duke Ellington: for his edge and spirituality.
Louis Armstrong: his legacy is undeniable. He is considered as one of the most revolutionary and influential musicians.
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Drivers in Abu Dhabi spend 10 per cent longer in congested conditions than they would on a free-flowing road
The highest volume of traffic on the roads is found between 7am and 8am on a Sunday.
Travelling before 7am on a Sunday could save up to four hours per year on a 30-minute commute.
The day was the least congestion in Abu Dhabi in 2019 was Tuesday, August 13.
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Drivers in Abu Dhabi lost 41 hours spent in traffic jams in rush hour during 2019
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
TV: World Cup Qualifier 2018 matches will be aired on on OSN Sports HD Cricket channel
Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
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Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
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Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
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Meatless Days
Sara Suleri, with an introduction by Kamila Shamsie
Penguin
RESULT
Manchester United 1 Brighton and Hove Albion 0
Man United: Dunk (66' og)
Man of the Match: Shane Duffy (Brighton)
Command%20Z
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Stage result
1. Jasper Philipsen (Bel) Alpecin-Fenix 4:42:34
2. Sam Bennett (Irl) Bora-Hansgrohe
3. Elia Viviani (Ita) Ineos Grenadiers
4. Dylan Groenewegen (Ned) BikeExchange-Jayco
5. Emils Liepins (Lat) Trek-Segafredo
6. Arnaud Demare (Fra) Groupama-FDJ
7. Max Kanter (Ger) Movistar Team
8. Olav Kooij (Ned) Jumbo-Visma
9. Tom Devriendt (Bel) Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux
10. Pascal Ackermann (Ger) UAE Team Emirate
DMZ facts
- The DMZ was created as a buffer after the 1950-53 Korean War.
- It runs 248 kilometers across the Korean Peninsula and is 4km wide.
- The zone is jointly overseen by the US-led United Nations Command and North Korea.
- It is littered with an estimated 2 million mines, tank traps, razor wire fences and guard posts.
- Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un met at a building in Panmunjom, where an armistice was signed to stop the Korean War.
- Panmunjom is 52km north of the Korean capital Seoul and 147km south of Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital.
- Former US president Bill Clinton visited Panmunjom in 1993, while Ronald Reagan visited the DMZ in 1983, George W. Bush in 2002 and Barack Obama visited a nearby military camp in 2012.
- Mr Trump planned to visit in November 2017, but heavy fog that prevented his helicopter from landing.
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 1 (Fernandes pen 2') Tottenham Hotspur 6 (Ndombele 4', Son 7' & 37' Kane (30' & pen 79, Aurier 51')
Man of the match Son Heung-min (Tottenham)
