Reno Reporter

Researchers at the University of Nevada, Reno believe that government-implemented warning labels can help to reduce poor-nutrition-related diseases.

Doing so with a front label would help mitigate rates of non-communicable diseases like type-2 diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and some cancers that are linked to poor nutrition, including some types of cancer, according to a news release issued by the university. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) assisted the school researchers in the study.

“The progress of front-of-pack nutrition warning labels in the Americas illustrates that the diffusion of best practices in the region have been shown to improve the nutritional quality of purchases and have been associated with improved diet quality, which in turn is associated with reduced risk of NCDs,” Dr. Eric Crosbie, co-author on the study and associate professor in the University’s School of Public Health, said in the release.

The study, which studied the PAHO/World Health Organization Region of the Americas, was published in the Lancet Regional Health Americas

Utilizing words such as "excess" rather than "high in" would add to national literacy, along with bigger warning labels and a contrasting background for greater visibility. Consumers need to comprehend the nutritional content of a product to limit their intake of ultra-processed and processed food items.

According to Dr. Fabio Da Silva Gomes, co-author of the study and advisor of nutrition and physical activity at PAHO: “Front-of-pack nutrition labels have evolved in the Americas to provide the best options to populations. The accumulated lessons and evidence have driven countries to reach regulatory excellence by adopting octagonal warning labels along with PAHO’s nutrient profile model to protect and promote healthy eating and public health.”