Mission
One in 5 premature deaths globally is due to poor nutrition. In India the prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is 116 per 1,000 populations. Increasing consumption of unhealthy diets and lack of physical activity show up in people as raised blood pressure, increased blood glucose, elevated blood lipids and obesity. These metabolic risk factors lead to cardiovascular disease, the leading NCD in terms of premature deaths.
The current food system is also fuelling the climate crisis and pandemic risk. At the same time, physicians tend not to use the immense power of nutrition to prevent and treat disease in the first place.
Physicians Association for Nutrition India (PAN India) is working with a mission to eliminate diet-related premature deaths globally. Three of the largest global health crises of today’s times – noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), the climate crisis and increasing zoonosis emergence or pandemics risk (e.g., Covid19) – are largely linked to our food choices and food systems. PAN is working to advance the food transformation needed to mitigate these three crises by making Evidence based Nutrition, especially whole food- plant-based nutrition a core part of healthcare.
We educate (future) health professionals on how nutrition can be used as an effective tool to treat their patients. and health, equip them with practical tools to support dietary change and engage them in bold efforts towards sound food environments.
We also approach the bigger global problems of the broken food system through engaging an international community and support network of physicians, dieticians, medical students and other healthcare workers. Through our combined efforts, we can influence policy-makers and change food environments for the good of human and planetary health. PAN’s influence is expanding and we regularly establish new national branches around the world. By partnering with like-minded international colleagues we can work effectively at a local, national and international scale to maximise impact.
