Nutritional consequences of the African diaspora

Along with their foods and dietary customs, Africans were carried into dias pora throughout the Americas as a result of the European slave trade. Their descendants represent populations at varying stages of the nutrition trans ition. West Africans are in the early stage, where undernutrition and nutri ent deficiencies are prevalent. Many Caribbean populations represent the mi ddle stages, with undernutrition and obesity coexisting. African-Americans and black populations in the United Kingdom suffer from the consequences of caloric excess and diets high in fat and animal products. Obesity, non-ins ulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, hypertension, coronary heart disease, and certain cancers all follow an east-to-west gradient of increasing prevalen ce. Public health efforts must focus not only on eradicating undernutrition in West Africa and the Caribbean but also on preventing obesity, hyperchol esterolemia, and their consequences. Fortunately, a coherent and well-suppo rted set of recommendations exists to promote better nutrition. Implementat ion of it founders primarily as a result of the influence of commercial and political interests.