Are the price patterns of cardioprotective vs. unhealthy foods the same? A report from Iran

<p><strong>BACKGROUND: </strong>Although several studies have assessed the price of different food groups in developed countries, there is scarce evidence regarding developing countries. Also, there is no report regarding the price of cardioprotective compared with unhealthy foods....

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Main Authors: Mohammad Hossein Rouhani, Bagher Larijani, Leila Azadbakht
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Vesnu Publications 2016-09-01
Series:ARYA Atherosclerosis
Subjects:
Online Access:http://arya.mui.ac.ir/index.php/arya/article/view/1368
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author Mohammad Hossein Rouhani
Bagher Larijani
Leila Azadbakht
author_facet Mohammad Hossein Rouhani
Bagher Larijani
Leila Azadbakht
author_sort Mohammad Hossein Rouhani
collection DOAJ
description <p><strong>BACKGROUND: </strong>Although several studies have assessed the price of different food groups in developed countries, there is scarce evidence regarding developing countries. Also, there is no report regarding the price of cardioprotective compared with unhealthy foods. The aim of this study was to determine the trend of food cost across different food groups (cardioprotective vs. unhealthy) and to assess the association between food cost and nutritional quality of foods in Iran.</p> <p><strong>METHODS: </strong>A list of foods consumed frequently by Iranian population was provided. Nutritional quality of foods was assessed by energy density and nutrient rich foods (NRF) index. Food groups were defined according to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) MyPlate food groups. The price of food groups was reported as kcal/price and price/serving.</p> <p><strong>RESULTS: </strong>Although a positive association between different types of NRF, nutrient content of foods and food price was observed, there was an inverse relationship between food price and energy density. The kcal/price of "oils" was less than "whole grains" and "refined grains". "Sugar, sweets and beverages" and "beans and legumes" food groups had equal kcal/price media. Among healthy foods for cardiovascular system, nuts had the highest price/serving. On the other hand, among unhealthy foods for cardiovascular system, processed meat had the highest price/serving. The price/serving of healthy oils was similar to saturated and <em>trans</em> fatty acids rich oils. Also, the price/serving of low-fat (healthy) vs. high fat (unhealthy) dairy was not different. Similar finding was observed for white meat vs. red meat.</p> <p><strong>CONCLUSIONS: </strong>Our findings revealed that the pattern of food price in Iran is different from developed countries. Also, we found that Iranians can consume a cardioprotective diet without any economic pressure.</p><p>&nbsp;</p>
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spelling doaj.art-1cbcf721610247409a3455ee35dc776a2022-12-22T01:25:04ZengVesnu PublicationsARYA Atherosclerosis1735-39552251-66382016-09-01124172179602Are the price patterns of cardioprotective vs. unhealthy foods the same? A report from IranMohammad Hossein Rouhani0Bagher Larijani1Leila Azadbakht2PhD Student, Food Security Research Center AND Department of Community Nutrition, School of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, IranProfessor, Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinical Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IranFood Security Research Center AND Department of Community Nutrition, School of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan AND Professor, Department of Community Nutrition, School of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics AND Diabetes Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinical Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran<p><strong>BACKGROUND: </strong>Although several studies have assessed the price of different food groups in developed countries, there is scarce evidence regarding developing countries. Also, there is no report regarding the price of cardioprotective compared with unhealthy foods. The aim of this study was to determine the trend of food cost across different food groups (cardioprotective vs. unhealthy) and to assess the association between food cost and nutritional quality of foods in Iran.</p> <p><strong>METHODS: </strong>A list of foods consumed frequently by Iranian population was provided. Nutritional quality of foods was assessed by energy density and nutrient rich foods (NRF) index. Food groups were defined according to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) MyPlate food groups. The price of food groups was reported as kcal/price and price/serving.</p> <p><strong>RESULTS: </strong>Although a positive association between different types of NRF, nutrient content of foods and food price was observed, there was an inverse relationship between food price and energy density. The kcal/price of "oils" was less than "whole grains" and "refined grains". "Sugar, sweets and beverages" and "beans and legumes" food groups had equal kcal/price media. Among healthy foods for cardiovascular system, nuts had the highest price/serving. On the other hand, among unhealthy foods for cardiovascular system, processed meat had the highest price/serving. The price/serving of healthy oils was similar to saturated and <em>trans</em> fatty acids rich oils. Also, the price/serving of low-fat (healthy) vs. high fat (unhealthy) dairy was not different. Similar finding was observed for white meat vs. red meat.</p> <p><strong>CONCLUSIONS: </strong>Our findings revealed that the pattern of food price in Iran is different from developed countries. Also, we found that Iranians can consume a cardioprotective diet without any economic pressure.</p><p>&nbsp;</p>http://arya.mui.ac.ir/index.php/arya/article/view/1368Food PriceNutritional QualityCardioprotective AgentsUnhealthy FoodsDeveloping Country
spellingShingle Mohammad Hossein Rouhani
Bagher Larijani
Leila Azadbakht
Are the price patterns of cardioprotective vs. unhealthy foods the same? A report from Iran
ARYA Atherosclerosis
Food Price
Nutritional Quality
Cardioprotective Agents
Unhealthy Foods
Developing Country
title Are the price patterns of cardioprotective vs. unhealthy foods the same? A report from Iran
title_full Are the price patterns of cardioprotective vs. unhealthy foods the same? A report from Iran
title_fullStr Are the price patterns of cardioprotective vs. unhealthy foods the same? A report from Iran
title_full_unstemmed Are the price patterns of cardioprotective vs. unhealthy foods the same? A report from Iran
title_short Are the price patterns of cardioprotective vs. unhealthy foods the same? A report from Iran
title_sort are the price patterns of cardioprotective vs unhealthy foods the same a report from iran
topic Food Price
Nutritional Quality
Cardioprotective Agents
Unhealthy Foods
Developing Country
url http://arya.mui.ac.ir/index.php/arya/article/view/1368
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