PAN India

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 whole food- plant-based nutrition a core part of healthcare. We educate (future) health professionals on nutrition and health, equip them with practical tools to support dietary change, and engage them in bold efforts towards sound food environments.

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 economic burden of NCDs is very high. In low-resource settings, health-care costs for NCDs quickly drain house-hold resources. The current food system is also fuelling the climate crisis and pandemic risk. At the same time, physicians in India tend not to use the immense power of Plant-based nutrition to prevent and treat disease in the first place. They rely heavily on pharmacology.

Since Nutrition is currently not a significant part of medical education around the world including India, to tackle the crises mentioned above successfully, health professionals worldwide need to be educated and empowered to implement whole food, plant-based nutrition into medical practice and to create healthy food environments in their communities.