customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

knowledgeQuestion

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

Victoria Bela

By 2030, Chinese residents’ spending on medical services is projected to increase by almost 100 billion yuan (US$14 billion) because of a shift in diet towards consuming more animal products.
Researchers found that between 1992 and 2021 Chinese dietary changes – characterised by moving from a primarily grain-based diet to incorporating more animal products – were associated with greater food-borne health expenditure.
And this trend, which is also reflected globally, is only expected to continue over the coming decades, according to their paper published in Nature’s Humanities and Social Science Communications peer-reviewed journal on September 14.


“With China’s population shifting toward a high-protein, high-fat dietary structure, food-borne personal medical cash expenditures will increase by 95.28 billion yuan in 2030,” the team from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Central China Normal University wrote.
While food-related per capita healthcare spending is projected to fall, state financial and total healthcare expenditure is expected to rise by 18.76 billion yuan and 17.67 billion yuan respectively, according to the paper.
The increased investment in healthcare as a result of dietary burden was “hindering the economic progress of the country and its residents toward affluence,” the researchers wrote.
China is the world’s largest consumer market for meat, however in per capita meat consumption it still significantly lags behind countries such as the United States and Australia.
However, meat consumption is rising in China, making it not only a concern for meeting demand and protecting the environment but also for the health and medicine sectors.
A projected increase in medical spending is not only because of meat consumption, but also due to a drop in individuals’ intake of grains – which includes cereals, beans and potatoes.
The shift, which is reflected globally, is associated with more nutritional health issues and disease outcomes.
“Research showed that 26 per cent of global preventable deaths are attributed to poor diet, surpassing other risk factors such as smoking,” the researchers wrote.
“Our findings reveal that plant-based foods, such as grains and vegetables, contribute significantly to healthcare savings, whereas animal-based foods, including meat and oil, are generally linked to higher healthcare costs.”
To project future healthcare costs in China, the team first examined the evolution of the Chinese diet and its effect on health spending over the past 30 years.
The researchers used food consumption data classified into eight categories – grains, vegetables, fruit, eggs, dairy products, aquatic products, meat and oilseeds – as well as national healthcare spending.
Medical expenditure from 2020 and 2021 were not included in the analysis because of the influence of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Compared to the balanced dietary pattern recommended by the Chinese Dietary Guidelines 2022, the Chinese dietary structure exhibits limited variety in grain intake, insufficient vegetable and fruit consumption, and excessive intake of livestock and meat,” the team wrote.


Alongside comparisons with other countries with similar characteristics, such as Japan, to estimate China’s rate of change, the team then projected the future diet healthcare model for China.
The projections showed that the Chinese diet would continue to shift towards eating fewer grains and more oil and meat, which would lead to increased disease burdens and, therefore, healthcare expenditure.
“In the context of China’s healthcare system development and reform, transitioning to a plant-based diet will be crucial for reducing personal costs and optimising medical expenditure,” the researchers wrote.


Human genome stored on 5D memory crystal which can last billions of years

Chinese researcher pushes US ahead in race to build ultra-precise nuclear clock

Chinese diet shift to more meat, fewer grains may cost US$14 billion in health spending

Panda conservation seen in US-China efforts helping other species thrive, scientists say

Science

Chinese researchers say the increased investment in healthcare as a result of dietary burden hinders “the economic progress of the country and its residents toward affluence”.  Photo: Shutterstock Images

Average Chinese national now eats more protein than an American: UN food agency

While the Chinese diet is relatively healthy with its focus on plant-based proteins, meat consumption has been increasing rapidly in recent years. Photo: Getty Images

China’s healthy eating recommendations include more fish and less highly processed meat. Photo: AFP

The Chinese diet has become more animal protein-oriented in parallel with the growth of China’s economy because it is a symbol of wealth, a researcher said. Photo: EPA

The Chinese government is encouraging people to reduce their consumption of animal products and to eat more plant-based proteins. Photo: AFP

Agriculture giant Syngenta to grow in China as Beijing seeks food security, sustainability

A farm machine harvests spring corn in a high-yield demonstration area in ​​Li Que Town, Guangrao County, Dongying City, Shandong province, on August 16, 2024. Photo: Xinhua

Petra Laux, chief sustainability officer at Syngenta Group. Photo: Handout

Corn dries at a local agricultural cooperative in Dongsheng Village, Wuliming Town, Zhaodong City, Heilongjiang province, on October 19, 2023. Photo: Xinhua

China sows seeds of self-reliance with ‘historic breakthrough’ in agricultural autonomy

Farmers work a paddy field in China’s Jiangsu province. The nation has been striving to ensure a stable food supply for 1.4 billion people. Photo: Xinhua

The best plant-based milks for the lowest calories and better protein quality

Plant-based milks such as oat, coconut, soy and almond milks are healthy alternatives to cow’s milk. Photo: Shutterstock

Plant-based milks such as oat, coconut, soy and almond milks are healthy alternatives to cow’s milk. But which is best in terms of calories and protein content? Photo: Shutterstock

Soy milk has a better protein quality than oat, almond and coconut milk, researchers found. Photo: Shutterstock

European farmers caught in crossfire of EU-China trade war as Beijing targets dairy

China is investigating subsidies into cheese, milk and cream from across the European Union. Photo: Shutterstock

News

China

Scientists say amid China’s healthcare system development and reform, ‘transitioning to a plant-based diet will be crucial’


Scientists say amid China’s healthcare system development and reform, ‘transitioning to a plant-based diet will be crucial’.
