The Economics of Global Saturated Fat Intake and Implications for Public Health

An increasing prevalence of obesity and diet-related diseases has heavily contributed to increased economic challenges including decreased economic productivity and increased healthcare expenditures globally. This has been, in part, attributed to excessive saturate fat intake. Saturated fatty acids (SFAs) are readily found in foods and have been linked to increased risk for diet-related diseases leading to increased mortality and morbidity worldwide. Identifying factors that influence SFA consumption is essential to government intervention strategies to improve dietary choices, decreasing obesity and diet-related diseases. The goal of this study is to estimate the relationship between saturated fat consumption and economic factors such as national income, food prices, and socio-demographics globally. SFA intake data from the Global Dietary Database along with gross domestic product, food price, and expenditure data from the World Bank International Comparison Program are used to estimate this relationship across 164 countries. Estimates are used to derive income and price elasticities of saturated fat intake by age, education, urban-rural status, and income. Results are used to assess the potential impacts of polices such as income support, subsidies, and taxes.