Diet as a key element of health promotion at the workplace in scientific research and practice. First results of the EU project FAHRE

The globalization of markets have led to rapid changes in diet and lifestyle in the developed countries, where living standards have improved, and availability and variety of food has increased while physical activity decreases have led to an augment in chronic diseases (obesity and diabetes mellitus), cardiovascular diseases and some specific cancers. In this context there is a need to develop health promotion activities. Workers represent a very appropriate group for such activities because they are relatively homogeneous, easily reachable because they can be found together in the same place and time and the occupational physician has good knowledge of the of health status of individual worker. In this scenario, a renew interest must be posed to the relationship between diet and health. In this context our Group is participating at the FAHRE project (Food and Health Research in Europe). The project aims to establish the state of the art of research at the interface of nutrition and health in the European Union, identifying its strengths and weaknesses in order to propose strategies to increase coordination and improve its functioning as a European Research Area.