In Mexico, 70 percent of Mexicans are overweight and almost a third of the population suffers from obesity. This disease is mainly associated with diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, but also with bone and muscle disorders and some types of cancer. Unhealthy eating habits and lack of exercise cause 32 percent of the deaths of women and 20 percent of men in the country, according to the Ministry of Health. To address this issue, the Chamber of Deputies decided to modify the law to increase awareness in food consumption and health habits.
Interview of the Week: Mexico Health Review spoke with PAULINO DECANINI, Executive President of SiSNova, about how prevention can increase the sector’s growth.
NATIONAL
- The Chamber of Deputies approved a reform to make it mandatory for any food or beverage that exceeds the values established by the Ministry of Health, in added sugars and saturated fats, to be labeled with a warning.
- Antonio Attolini will be in charge of the Technical Coordination of International Integration at the Mexican Social Security Institute. He will be responsible for designing and implementing bilateral and multilateral strategies for reaching institutional objectives in the international arena, such as improving the quality of life of beneficiaries.
- Alejandro Mohar resigned to his position at the National Institutes of Health and High Specialty Hospitals Commission and was appointed Executive Officer of the Southwest Oncology Group for Latin America. Moreover, Minster of Health Jorge Alcocer appointed Gustavo Reyes Terán as the new head of the Commission.
INTERNATIONAL
- The UN, through the Interagency Working Group on Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases, congratulated the Ministry of Health (MINSA) of Perú for its contribution to the UN’s Sustainable Development goals, mainly through the implementation of warning octagons in processed foods.
