A report commissioned by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) from a team of global experts aims to identify new recommendations for governments on diet and exercise to tackle the increasing number of people who die each year from chronic diseases. The report notes that less saturated fats, sugar and salt, and more fruits and vegetables and physical activity are needed to counter cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes and obesity.

In addition to nutritional guidelines, physical activity is a key factor in determining the amount of energy used each day and is therefore fundamental to energy balance and weight control. One hour per day of moderate-intensity activity, i.e., walking, wheeling, etc., on most days of the week is needed to maintain a healthy body weight, especially for those people who spend most of their time sitting, according to the Expert Panel.

Read the entire press release and download the report at http://www.ncpad.org/669/2856/2003-03-01. Please note that this report recommends a higher amount of physical activity (60 minutes) compared to previous reports (30 minutes).