Shifting disease patterns and the nutritional "double burden"

In his opening remarks, Assoc. Prof. PhD. Tran Thanh Duong – Director of the National Institute of Nutrition, stated that Vietnam is currently facing a "double burden of malnutrition": micronutrient deficiencies coexisting with a rapid increase in overweight, obesity, and non-communicable diseases.

Particularly within the 20-45 age group - the core labor force of society - a busy modern lifestyle is unintentionally forming unreasonable dietary habits. Faced with this reality, the Director emphasized the strategic shift from "disease treatment" to "disease prevention", in which proactive healthcare must begin with rational food choices in every daily meal.

Assoc. Prof. PhD. Tran Thanh Duong – Director of the National Institute of Nutrition delivers the opening speech at the conference

Alarming rates of overweight, obesity, and the habit of skipping breakfast

At the conference, PhD. Nguyen Song Tu - Head of the General Planning Department, National Institute of Nutrition, and PhD. Hoang Thu Nga - Department of Nutrition and Non-Communicable Diseases, sequentially presented detailed insights into the nutritional status and diets of adults. The report was based on the results of a large-scale study conducted on nearly 1,500 individuals in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho, Thai Nguyen, and Quang Nam.

The research revealed several noteworthy figures:

• The rate of overweight and obesity in the surveyed group reached 43.6% (applying the WHO/WPRO classification standard of BMI ≥ 23), with a higher prevalence among men.
• Micronutrient deficiencies are highly common: The average diet only meets 68.7% of the calcium requirement and 50.9% of the folate requirement.
• Over 60% of the surveyed individuals do not consume adequate amounts of green vegetables and fruits as recommended by the World Health Organization.
• Notably, the habit of skipping breakfast is at an alarming level. 26.7% of participants do not eat breakfast regularly; energy intake from breakfast only meets 18.2% of the daily requirement; and approximately 20% consume foods high in sugar and confectionery for their morning meal.

Updating scientific solutions from national and international experts

To address these practical challenges, Assoc. Prof. PhD. Vu Thu Hien – Head of the Department of Biochemistry and Nutritional Metabolism, National Institute of Nutrition, presented a report titled "Updating the Recommended Dietary Allowances for Vietnamese People". This update serves as a crucial scientific foundation, helping to adjust standard menus to align with current changes in the physical condition and lifestyle of the Vietnamese population.

Additionally, the event featured the participation of PhD. Durham Zanetti Holiday – Senior Research Scientist in Clinical Investigations from the Nutrilite Health Institute (USA). Providing a multi-dimensional perspective, PhD. Holiday offered a detailed analysis and comparison of the similarities and differences between the US and Vietnamese food pyramids. Delving into the context of modern lifestyles and the reality of breakfast skipping, the expert emphasized that a nutrient-dense breakfast not only provides essential starting energy for a new day but is also key to maintaining a healthy metabolism, controlling weight, and preventing metabolic disorders.

PhD. Durham Zanetti Holiday – Senior Research Scientist in Clinical Investigations from the Nutrilite Health Institute presents on the importance of breakfast

During the discussion session, Ph.D. Holiday also updated the latest US dietary guidelines for the 2025-2030 period and introduced Nutrilite's scientific and technological platforms currently being applied to provide highly personalized nutritional solutions.

Public-private partnership model: Towards a healthy community

The aforementioned research is a clear testament to the effectiveness of the public-private partnership (PPP) model in preventive medicine, conducted under the framework of the Strategic Cooperation Agreement among the National Institute of Nutrition, the Nutrilite Health Institute, and Amway Vietnam.

Representing the accompanying partner, Ms. On Minh Hang – Vice President of Amway Vietnam, expressed her honor in collaborating with the National Institute of Nutrition on a project of high scientific and practical significance. She emphasized that investing in nutrition is investing in the population quality of tomorrow. Amway commits to going beyond research sponsorship, acting as a bridge to spread community awareness and transforming research findings into practical nutritional solutions, thereby helping citizens easily adopt a science-based lifestyle every day.

Ms. On Minh Hang – Vice President of Amway Vietnam commits to accompanying the National Institute of Nutrition

Following a dynamic Q&A session between the speakers and press agencies, Assoc. Prof. PhD. Tran Thanh Duong delivered the closing remarks, summarizing the conference's core values. The scientific data announced today will serve as a solid foundation for the National Institute of Nutrition to continue advising on policy development and orienting communication and nutrition education programs, ultimately contributing to the successful implementation of the National Nutrition Strategy for the 2021-2030 period and vision toward 2045.

Some pictures from the Conference: