Diet-related chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease are on the rise. Our daily food decisions and exercise routine (or lack thereof) leave their mark on our lives. A healthy lifestyle with conscious diet decisions and increased physical activity can significantly reduce our risk of developing non-communicable diseases.

It is therefore of utmost importance to promote healthy lifestyle programs in order to raise awareness of healthy food choices and physical activity behaviours as a public health priority. The Joint Programming Initiative ‘A healthy diet for a healthy life’ (JPI HDHL) is intended to implement a research strategy to highlight and analyse the factors that contribute to our food choices and physical activity behaviours and how these impact our health. The aim is to shape and strengthen the food industry by linking it to the latest advancements in the food, nutritional, health and social sciences, and to translate these efforts into policies, innovative products, services, etc. so as to bring tangible benefits for the well-being of citizens.

The JPI HDHL is a transnational voluntary partnership that brings together 25 member states and associated countries of the European Union, and transatlantic countries.[1] The initiative intends to establish a European Research Area (ERA) to address the interplay between diet, exercise and health in order to offer health strategies to prevent lifestyle- and diet-related diseases. The JPI HDHL targets three areas for pursuing research. The first, ‘Determinants of Diet and Physical Activity Knowledge Hub’ (DEDIPAC KH), refers to the socio-economic and environmental factors that influence the consumer’s decisions in terms of his overall health (diet, physical activity). The second research area, ‘Biomarkers in Nutrition and Health’ (BioNH), uses biomarkers to evaluate nutritional exposure and nutritional status in order to provide a sustainable and healthy food supply. The third action, ‘European Nutritional Phenotype Assessment Data Sharing Initiative’ (ENPADASI), investigates the role of genes, phenotypes and nutrients in the assessment of risks for diet-related chronic diseases.

by M. Hanes