Dietary Fat Intake: A Comparative Analysis of UK and US Guidelines

This report examines dietary fat guidelines in the UK and US, focusing on the impact of fat intake on women (20-40 years) and children (1.5-3 years). It compares the recommended levels of total fat, saturated fat, monounsaturated fat, and polyunsaturated fat in both countries. The report highlights that while the UK faces challenges with unhealthy eating habits leading to obesity, the US struggles with nutrient deficiencies. It analyzes the consequences of these dietary patterns, including increased risks of cardiovascular diseases, obesity, and malnutrition, particularly among young women and infants. The report also discusses the role of food standards agencies in promoting healthy eating habits and outlines the factors influencing dietary choices, such as convenience. It concludes by emphasizing the importance of adhering to dietary guidelines to mitigate health risks associated with unhealthy eating patterns and provide a better understanding of the impact of different types of fats on overall health.

DIETARY FAT

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................6

INTRODUCTION
Dietary fat plays a major role in entire human life therefore, it is important for the people
to consider appropriate nutritional diet according to their age group in order to have proper
metabolism activities of body. Extra intake of nutritional diet or mal-nutrition; both are
dangerous for lives which can lead to serious health problems specially for women under the age
group of 20 to 40 years and in child between 1.5 to 3 years. The report will outline the fat
guidelines followed in UK in comparison to US. Further, it will critically evaluate fat intake and
its consequences for two specified groups that is women and children.
MAIN BODY
In dietary fat, saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturate fats play a major role as it
helps individuals in reducing the level of cholesterol in blood. Over consumption of these fats in
human body leads to various heath diseases. Further, saturated fats are solid at room temperature
whereas unsaturated fat are liquid at room temperature and both demonstrate different chemical
structure and react differently in the human body.
Fat guidelines in UK for Women (20 to 40 years) and Children (1.5 to 3 years)
Group TOTAL FAT Saturated fat Mono
unsaturated fat
Polyunsaturated
fat
Children (1.5 to 3
years)
34.3 14.8 (National
Diet and
Nutrition Survey
Rolling
Programme
(NDNS RP) 2012
).
50.8 1.7
Women (20 to 40
years)
35.6 13.1 49.1 1.1
Fat guidelines in US for Women (20 to 40 years) and Children (1.5 to 3 years)
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Group TOTAL FAT Saturated fat Mono
unsaturated fat
Polyunsaturated
fat
Children (1.5 to 3
years)
35 (DIETARY
GUIDELINES
FOR
AMERICANS
2015-2020).
12.2 26 1.4
Women (20 to 40
years)
27.5 10.5 (DIETARY
GUIDELINES
FOR
AMERICANS
2015-2020).
26.5 0.9
In accordance with this schedule, eating habits of women in UK are not appropriate that
is the major reason behind their increasing health problems such as obesity. The unhealthy eating
habits are leading to various health problems especially in young women like cardiovascular,
thyroid, obesity, etc. The death rate is increasing as per the calculation for young generation.
Apart from this, health diseases in children and infants are increasing because the breast feeding
women also do not consider appropriate food habits due to which health of infant gets disturbed.
In accordance to food guidelines of UK, intake of salt for children in age group 1.5 to 3 years is
restricted as it disturbs complete metabolism activity of infant (FSA nutrients and food based
guidelines for UK institutions, 2007). Food standard agency established effective measures to
prevent people from unhealthy eating habits which leads to various health problems especially in
women and children.
Fat guidelines in US for Women (20 to 40 years) and Children (1.5 to 3 years)
According to US health guidelines for children, the individuals should consider and
reduce saturated fat intake as high saturated fat can raise level of cholesterol in blood of children
due to which it increases chances of heart diseases in early ages. Therefore, the mother of infant
or family should focus on reducing saturated fats diet. Further, for women of age group, the
guidelines are focused on intake of proper nutrients as according to survey, it has been
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determined that the major problems of UK is very less intake of nutrients due to which the
women suffer from cyclic problems, obesity, lack of folic acid etc. According to, survey eating
disorder are majorly found in young females due to which the generation goes through
malnutrition (FSA nutrients and food based guidelines for UK institutions, 2007). However, the
food standards and its guidelines are focused on serving quality life and therefore, formulated its
practices to prevent and reduce health diseases from society which arise due to unhealthy eating
habits. However, the country has established rule in which every food and beverage firm is liable
to comply with food standards in order to serve quality eatable products to all organisations.
Further, following these practices assist the country in establishing effective measures for
controlling unhealthy eating habits among women and children.
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In comparison to UK, US has low intake of fat nutrients such as potassium, fibre,
calcium, iron, etc. and thus, their inadequate intake of food items are leading to various health
problems (Mozaffarian and Ludwig, 2015). On the other hand, eating habits of women in UK are
recorded which demonstrate that most of the population in involved in unhealthy eating such as
high cholesterol diet and low quality food item which are increasing the obese population.
According to increasing health problems due to intake of unhealthy food, it has been analysed
that the young generation eats unhealthy food as according to them, it is easily edible and can be
prepared easily. Moreover, generation is concerned with taste instead of health due to which
major young population of women in UK is suffering from obesity and irregular monthly cycles
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Illustration 1: Excess Weight Causes Many Health Problems
Source: (How Excess Weight Affects Your Health, 2017)

which disturbs immune system due to which death rate is increasing (Scale of the obesity
problem, 2017). Further, it has been denoted that due to unhealthy eating habits, younger
generation of women is becoming obese in earlier age which is leading to various other health
issues such as depression, irregular cycles and many more. On the other hand, unhealthy eating
habits of breast feeding women is destroying lives of many children in their early ages as
pregnant women and mother of new born baby are not allowed to intake unhealthy diet as put a
direct adverse impact on the health of child. However, in accordance with this, the women in UK
needs to have control over salt in-taking habit. The young generation in this nation tend to prefer
junk food over healthier option as it is convenient to eat as well as they find it to be as per their
tastes (Castillo, Tucker and Whisner, 2017). Whereas, in US, the major problem arise in women
and children due to less intake of nutrients instead of unhealthy diets but in UK the population in
involved in unhealthy eating habits due to which it has been implied that obesity has increased
more than 30,000 deaths every year. Further, according to analysis, obesity can overtake tobacco
smoking which is the biggest reason behind increasing health problems (Nutrition Requirements,
2016). Eating a low-fat diet 'increases the risk of dying in early age by 25%'. In contrary, the
survey critically accessed that the major death were recorded due to heart diseases in high
income countries that is US and UK. In US, the major problem arise due to inadequate intake of
nutrients specially in women whereas in UK, unhealthy eating habits of women are heading
towards increasing effect of obesity.
There are various factors which contribute in unhealthy eating habits of young generation
of women. The major factor that is affecting is convenience. These days the individuals are not
concerned with the appropriate eating habits instead the people focus more on convenience (How
Excess Weight Affects Your Health, 2017). However, the increasing unhealthy habits are leading
to heart diseases, strokes, diabetes and cancer. Among women, all these habits lead to various
disorders such as mood swings, depression and weight gain. With continuous increase in
influence and death in early ages, it has become important for individual society to control the
problems increasing due to unhealthy eating habits (How Excess Weight Affects Your Health,
2017). Apart from this, in the UK, intake of saturated and unsaturated fat is also getting high to
due to which the mothers are affecting life of infants due to their convenience. Obesity
accumulates the risk of diabetes 20-30 times and considerably hikes the risk of developing high
blood pressure, cardiovascular and gallstones. The individuals are overweight due to obesity
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which increases the body mass index which shows high chance of various diseases in an
individual. The rate of diseased people is comparatively low in US in comparison to UK as there,
the major food health problems arise due to mal-nutrition (Nutrition Requirements, 2016). Fat
and protein are 2 macro nutrients which play an important role in women diet. It is the major
source of energy when carbohydrates are not available in human body. A 25-years-old working
female needs 2,200 calories per day and the requirement of calories in body determines the need
of protein. Therefore, according to the research, food guidelines lines framed by Food Standard
Agency which have been outlined that play a major role in improving the dietary schedule in
developing healthy eating habits to reduce the chances of health problems (Jayarajan, Reddy and
Mohanram, 2013).
CONCLUSION
The report summarized dietary fat and its role in society which is leading to various
health problems such as increased cholesterol, high blood pressure and depression as well as
cardiovascular. The report analysed study of US and UK for two specific group in which it
majorly evaluated unhealthy eating habits of young women which affects the health children as
well. The study states that major health problems arise due to unhealthy dietary schedule which
is majorly impacting the population of UK whereas women in US suffers from mal-nutrition.
Moreover, report outlined the nutrient guidelines set by food standard agency to establish
effective measures for healthy eating habits.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Jayarajan, P., Reddy, V. and Mohanram, M., 2013. Effect of dietary fat on absorption of β
carotene from green leafy vegetables in children. Indian Journal of Medical Research.
137(5).
Castillo, L.F., Tucker, W.J. and Whisner, C.M., 2017. Exercise Effects on Fecal pH During A
Period of Excess Dietary Fat and Sugar Consumption. The FASEB Journal. 31. (1
Supplement), pp.138-8.
Mozaffarian, D. and Ludwig, D.S., 2015. The 2015 US dietary guidelines: lifting the ban on total
dietary fat. Jama. 313(24). pp.2421-2422.
Online
FSA nutrients and food based guidelines for UK institutions. 2007. [Online]. Available through:
<https://www.food.gov.uk/sites/default/files/multimedia/pdfs/nutrientinstitution.pdf>.
Nutrition Requirements. 2016. [Online]. Available through:
<https://www.nutrition.org.uk/attachments/article/234/Nutrition
%20Requirements_Revised%20Oct%202016.pdf>.
How Excess Weight Affects Your Health. 2017. [Online]. Available through:
<https://www.helpguide.org/harvard/how-excess-weight-affects-your-health.htm>.
Scale of the obesity problem. 2017. [Online]. Available through:
<https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-matters-obesity-and-the-food-
environment/health-matters-obesity-and-the-food-environment--2>.
DIETARY GUIDELINES FOR AMERICANS 2015-2020. [Online]. Available through:
<https://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/resources/2015-2020_Dietary_Guidelines.pdf>.
National Diet and Nutrition Survey Rolling Programme (NDNS RP) 2012. [Online]. Available
through: <https://www.food.gov.uk/sites/default/files/ndns-ni-full-report.pdf>.
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