"The initiative of the Ministry of Health to limit the consumption of certain foods in schools should be extended to families and all stakeholders."

Dr. Amelia Martí. PHOTO: Manuel Castells

For University of Navarra researcher Amelia Martí del Moral, an expert in childhood obesity, the new Food Safety Law presented by the Ministry of Health to the autonomous regions to limit the presence of unhealthy foods in schools "was urgent in Spain, where the percentage of childhood obesity between 6 and 12 years of age reaches 16.1%".

In this sense, the professor of the School of Pharmacy stressed that the content of the new rule was already defined by the World Health Organization in 2004 and applied by several European countries since the 90's. "The interesting thing will be to see what resources the Administration will have to ensure compliance with this limitation on access to products and beverages with low nutritional value in vending machines, as well as greater dietary-nutritional control in school menus". "Likewise," he clarified, "the rule should involve the autonomous communities, city councils, parents' associations, etc.".

However, he pointed out that the weapons to counteract the pressure of an obesogenic environment "must be acquired by the children through good family example. Otherwise they will get their soft drinks, candies and sweets elsewhere and the problem will continue".

Among the measures of the new law is also the supervision, by professionals, of menus so that they are balanced - containing the caloric intake per day divided into breakfast (25%), lunch (35%), dinner (30%) and lunch and snack (10%) - and healthy - eating olive oil, avoiding precooked dishes, using iodized salt, etc. -. position According to the expert, this supervisory role is a priority and should be carried out by dieticians-nutritionists, as they are the specialists at subject.

Soft drinks double the risk of obesity

The professor of Physiology at the University of Navarra, together with other researchers, published a study on the consumption of carbonated beverages among children in Navarra. "Our conclusion was that each extra soft drink almost doubled the risk of obesity and caused them to drink less water and milk, something that also had a negative impact on their health," she explained.

The researcher, who is part of the group de Estudio Navarro de la Obesidad Infantil (GENOI), recalled that another of the causes of the increase in obesity is to be found in the change in children's habits: "In their way of playing -they have moved from active play, with physical engagement, to a more passive one, such as video games- and the withdrawal of the Mediterranean dietary patron saint , which made Spain an example in the 70s and whose withdrawal has meant that in just 5 years we have tripled the fees of obesity, making us the fourth European country with the highest figures". "Nor can we ignore the growth in cases of diabetes, a problem associated with obesity that more and more children are suffering from", concluded Dr. Martí del Moral.

Finally, Professor Martí del Moral appealed to the need for some equivalent strategy for secondary school students, where for now only the advertising will be removed from the vending machines.