Nutrition for Special Populations: Government and Health Report

This report addresses the nutritional needs of special populations, specifically focusing on the high consumption of red and processed meat in New Zealand and the recommendations from the World Cancer Research Fund to prioritize plant-based diets. It highlights the health risks associated with excessive meat intake, such as increased risks of cancer and cardiovascular diseases, supported by research from various institutions like IARC and Loma Linda University. The report emphasizes the need for the New Zealand government and healthcare sector to implement diet education campaigns and formulate policies that integrate health education into the education system to promote healthier eating habits. The report underscores the role of stakeholders in disseminating information and fostering a shift towards healthier dietary patterns to reduce health risks and improve overall well-being.

Running Head: NUTRITION FOR SPECIAL POPULATIONS 1
Nutrition for Special Populations
Student’s Name
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[Two of the recommendations made in the World Cancer Research Fund report are; 'eat mostly
foods of plant origin' and 'limit intake of red meat and avoid processed meat'. The consumption
of red meat, and in particular processed meat, is very high in New Zealand. What could or what
should the New Zealand government do to try and limit individual's consumption of red meat
and encourage an increase in the consumption of foods of plant origin?]
The research by World Cancer Research Fund report are; 'eat mostly foods of plant
origin' and 'limit intake of red meat and avoid processed meat'. There has been extensive research
in relation to what foods people consume and the different effect this has on their bodies. With
this it has brought about the demarcation between the vegetarians and the rest. The world cancer
research shows that the consumption of meat has serious harm to the body as compare to the
consumption of plat products (Chan et al., 2011). The consumption of meat especially beef and
pork increase the chances of pancreatic cancer for the patient. The high intake of these foods
result to high risks of getting cancer and different research bodies have taken u this research and
shown convincing reports. Also, the consumption of fat from red meat is highly associated with
these risks, other forms of meat products includes dairy products as well. This has led to the
categorization of meat into carcinogen. IARC is the cancer agency for WHO and a research
conducted by the agency shows that the consumption of 50 grams of processed meat every day
ends up increasing the risk of getting colorectal cancer by a huge percentage of 18 (Harris,
Bergkvist & Wolk, 2016).
The consumption of plant products on the other hand does not expose one to all these
risks. Research shows that this consumption of plant produce has multiple advantages such as the
reduced chances of attaining diabetes. According to a research by Loma Linda university school

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of public health, the consumption of plant products leads to the reduced incidences of diabetes.
Other than this the act of becoming a vegan reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases. This is
because of the presences of antioxidants which is present in most plant produces (Richardson, et
al., 2016). These are molecules that are responsible for the reduction of the damage done by
oxidative stress inclusive of atherosclerosis and in return this helps in the reduction of the risk of
cardiovascular diseases. This was retrieved from a research by the JCU university Skin Cancer
research clinic (Sandhu, White & McPherson, 2016).
The consumption of red meat, and in particular processed meat, is very high in New
Zealand. This has been reported by different sources and calls for the government and the health
sector to educate the people on the different dangers associated with this pattern. Very few
people have access to all the health information in relation to feeding patterns. The health care
sector in the country needs to play a huge role in achieving this goal of communicating the
dangers associated with the consumption of too much meet products (Richardson, et al., 2016).
The best move by the health sector is to launch diet education campaigns all over the country.
These camping are aimed at educating the people on the dangers associated with this high
consumption rate of meat. These campaigns will help the people realize the health risk they are
subjecting their bodies into with the high consumption rates of the meat products.
The government also has a major role to play in this challenge facing the country. The
government should formulate policies which are in line with educative health forums. For
instance, the government should include health education in the education sector where the
sector can integrate this in feeding lessons and teach the students the dangers associated with the
consumption of different products especially the products (Arnold et al., 2016). With this, the

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government will formulate an educated generation which is in a position to distinguish what is
the health foods to consume and what not to consume. This will greatly help the New Zealand
population health wise.
The different foods we doo consume have different impacts on our bodies as seen.
Access to information can greatly help many learn of the different health matters in relation to
vegan feeding habits and more. Also, different stakeholders in the country have significant roles
to play in relation to the subject.

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References
Arnold, M., Sierra, M. S., Laversanne, M., Soerjomataram, I., Jemal, A., & Bray, F. (2016).
Global patterns and trends in colorectal cancer incidence and mortality. Gut, gutjnl-2015.
Chan, D. S., Lau, R., Aune, D., Vieira, R., Greenwood, D. C., Kampman, E., & Norat, T. (2011).
Red and processed meat and colorectal cancer incidence: meta-analysis of prospective
studies. PloS one, 6(6), e20456.
Harris, H. R., Bergkvist, L., & Wolk, A. (2016). Adherence to the world cancer research
fund/American institute for cancer research recommendations and breast cancer
risk. International journal of cancer, 138(11), 2657-2664.
Richardson, A., Hayes, J., Frampton, C., & Potter, J. (2016). Modifiable lifestyle factors that
could reduce the incidence of colorectal cancer in New Zealand. Ann
Richardson, 129(1447).
Sandhu, M. S., White, I. R., & McPherson, K. (2016). Systematic review of the prospective
cohort studies on meat consumption and colorectal cancer risk: a meta-analytical
approach. Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention Biomarkers, 10(5), 439-446.

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