Men and women chugged an eye-popping 299.2g and 208.8g of sugary drinks, respectively, per day. The recommended amount per day is 0 to 5g. (Image: Korea Bizwire)
SEOUL, Jan. 16 (Korea Bizwire) – An analysis of the dietary history of South Koreans reveals an excessive intake of sugary drinks and processed meats and too little consumption of nuts, milk and vegetables.
On January 15 the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) published the results of a study into the diets of 41,656 adults between the ages of 25 and 74 who had participated in the national health and nutrition examination surveys conducted every year from 2007 through 2015.
The purpose of the KCDC study was to determine whether South Koreans were eating safe quantities of the 13 foods designated by the World Health Organization (WHO) as directly linked to chronic diseases. The WHO encourages the consumption of nine different fruits and vegetables while discouraging the intake of four categories of foods, two of which are processed meats and sugary drinks.
South Koreans were found to be consuming more than the recommended amount of dietary fiber, polyunsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids.
Meanwhile, consumption of seeds, nuts and calcium was discovered to be deficient, hovering at about half of the recommended quantity. Also, men had a daily intake of 17.6g and women 16.5g of whole grains, slightly over 10 percent of the recommended amount, which is 100 to 150g.
The WHO encourages the consumption of nine different fruits and vegetables while discouraging the intake of four categories of foods, two of which are processed meats and sugary drinks. (Image: Korea Bizwire)
The daily recommended amount of milk (350 to 520g) was also far more than actual intake. Men drank 53.3g, with women sipping a bit more at 54.7g.
Processed meats, on the other hand, featured prominently in South Korean meals, growing in prominence since 2007. Men ate 8.7g, more than double the recommended amount of 0 to 4g a day, and women munched on 6.5g.
Men and women chugged an eye-popping 299.2g and 208.8g of sugary drinks, respectively, per day. The recommended amount per day is 0 to 5g.
Processed meats, on the other hand, featured prominently in South Korean meals, growing in prominence since 2007. (Image: Korea Bizwire)
Lastly, men ate 74.8g of red meat and women dined on 46.7g, far higher than the recommended 18 to 27g.
Based on the results, the KCDC has said efforts to change the diet of the typical South Korean are desperately needed as the food one eats has a greater impact on the incidence of chronic diseases than vices such as smoking or drinking.
S.B.W. (sbw266@koreabizwire.com)
