Time to Revisit Dietary Practices in Young People: An Opinion Paper

Unhealthy diet is a global risk factor for cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality across all regions of the world. A combination of healthy diet and active lifestyle is associated with decreased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in adolescents and later in life. This opinion piece explores dietary practices among adolescents and concludes that sedentary behaviours and poor dietary practices characterized by increased consumptions of sweetened beverages such as soda and fast foods is on the rise among adolescents. Unfortunately, these practices are characterized by increased BMI and risk of developing CVDs in future. Strategies to revisit dietary practices among adolescents are urgent to mitigate the increasing burden of CVDs in adolescents and in later life.