The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), together with the Ministry of Health (MINSA) and the Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama (INCAP in Spanish), successfully held the INCAP 75th Anniversary Commemorative Symposium. This event brought together national and international experts to discuss innovative strategies for the prevention of nutrition-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Panama.

In the Americas region, NCDs account for 80% of all deaths, of which one third could be avoided with appropriate preventive measures and healthy eating.

Increased consumption of industrial trans fats, especially when they exceed 1% of total energy intake, is linked to an increased risk of coronary heart disease and premature death. Likewise, cardiovascular diseases lead the statistics, and hypertension is one of its most prevalent risk factors, which is closely related to high sodium intake.