5th InternationalCarbohydrate QualityConsortium (ICQC) Meeting – Catania Italy

The September 2023 ICQC meeting is a two-day meeting covering topics such as ultra-processed foods (UPFs), added sugars, carbohydrate classification and digestibility, the glycemic index, current understanding of food structure including cell wall fiber, the new WHO carbohydrate report and whole grains. Please see the scientific program for details.

The first day focuses on UPFs which are generally seen as poor sources of dietary fiber, micronutrients, protein and unsaturated fats. However, some UPFs such as soya drinks, vegetable burgers, fruit-yogurt, Italian pizza and ready-to-eat pasta sauces are healthy sources of essential amino-acids, mono- and poly-unsaturated fatty acids, isoflavones, carotenoids, dietary fiber, probiotics, and can displace animal sources of food. This year publication of the Global Burden of Disease study estimated that poor diet accounted for 70% of total type 2 diabetes cases globally in 2018, 2.6% up from 1990 (O’Hearn et al. Nature Medicine 2023 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-023-02278-8) and insufficient yogurt intake (21 g/d vs 87 g/d)  accounted for more than 10% of total diabetes cases globally.

The second day focuses on whole grains of different kind including maize. Insufficient intake of whole grains remains the first attributable dietary cause (accounting for 30%) of diabetes morbidity (O’Hearn et al 2023) and among the leading dietary risk factors for all-cause mortality and disability-adjusted life-years (Lancet 2019,  http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(19)30041-8). This global analysis suggests a ongoing poor acceptance of whole grains across countries. The ICQC will discuss the latest data and gaps on the health effects of whole grains in chronic diseases by cereal types and will present new consumer survey results. This session will include an overall discussion with suggestions from academia and industry on how to increase whole grain consumption globally.