title: Where is Nepal in the nutrition transition?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Nutrition transition is rapid in developing countries, but Nepalese transition is relatively unknown. This study aimed to describe nutrition transition in Nepal over the past 40 years by identifying the shifts in the Nepalese diets and nutritional status and the underlying shifts associated with this.
  
  
  METHODS
  Popkin's framework was used to identify shifts in Nepalese diet and the inter-relationship of diet with epidemiological, demographic and economic shifts. The current study used quantitative methodology including secondary data analysis based on food balance sheets, economic surveys and the government databases.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The Nepalese diet is shifting away from agricultural staple based foods to modern processed foods with higher total energy, total fat, and sugar. The prevalence of overweight/obesity and diet related non-communicable diseases are increasing. Urbanisation is rapid and nutrition transition already advanced in urban area. The Nepalese economic structure has also changed shifting away from agricultural food supply system towards modern processing based food supply system. These changes in the Nepalese diet are triggered by income and urbanisation. The trade liberalisation has made processed foods, edible oil and sugar easily available at supermarkets and fast food outlets.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is clear that Nepal has now entered into the fourth stage of nutrition transition according to Popkin's framework. As a result, overweight, obesity and the prevalence of many noncommunicable diseases are all rapidly growing. A further study is recommended to identify whether urban versus rural, rich versus poor and educated versus uneducated families are experiencing the transition in similar way.
authors.affiliation: College of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom. Email: yagya.subedi@abdn.ac.uk; yagyasubedi9@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Yagya Prasad
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Subedi
authors.affiliation: Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Warwick, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Debbi
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Marais
authors.affiliation: Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Newlands
mesh_terms: D018556:Crops, Agricultural; D003906:Developing Countries; D004032:Diet / Q000191:economics / Q000639:trends*; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000008:administration & dosage; D019422:Dietary Sucrose / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002149:Energy Intake; D005511:Food Handling; D005523:Food Supply / Q000191:economics; D059066:Gross Domestic Product / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D009390:Nepal / Q000453:epidemiology; D009752:Nutritional Status; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology; D011157:Population Dynamics; D014507:Urbanization
chemical_list: D004041:Dietary Fats; D019422:Dietary Sucrose