MLCU seminar focuses on processed food & health hazards

SHILLONG: Martin Luther Christian University (MLCU) organised a seminar on the impact of super-processed food on health on Wednesday, the concluding day of a week-long programme celebrating National Nutrition Week.
The seminar on the theme, ‘Healthy Living and Super Processed Food: Are they Compatible?’ was organised by the Nutrition and Dietetics Cell of the university’s Department of Allied Health Sciences and aimed at creating awareness on the role of nutrition in individuals, especially young adults who are at a significant phase of life.
Baphiralang Wahlang, Health, Food and Nutrition Consultant at DHTE (Shillong), said consumption of ultra-processed product at the pre-school age “is a predictor of an increase in total cholesterol and low-density lipoproteins”.
Talking about the growing popularity of processed food in the global market, Wahlang said, “Ultra-processed products dominate food supplies in high-income countries but consumption of these products is now rapidly increasing in middle-income countries.”
MLCU Vice Chancellor Robert G Lyngdoh also spoke on the hazardous effects of processed and genetically modified food items and called for awareness programmes. The week-long programme started on September 3 and various events were organised. Prizes were given away to winners of the events like debate, poster-making, collage, photography and slogan-writing.