Can increasing whole and fractioned pea flour consumption in Canada reduce healthcare expenditures?

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Date
2016
Authors
Choi, Changhee
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Abstract
The implication of increasing consumption of functional foods, such as pulse-containing products, reveals the potential to reduce the incidence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and coronary heart disease (CHD) and thereby achieves the cost savings associated with treatment and productivity loss. This research investigates the economic impact of such an important aspect of dietary pulse intake. The objective of the research is to determine the potential annual healthcare savings resulting from pulse flour consumption at Health Canada’s recommended daily rates. This study employs a four-step cost-of-illness approach to estimate such savings: 1) estimation of success rate of the healthy food; 2) determination of lower glycemic index, insulin concentration reduction, and lower cholesterol; 3) assumption of reduction in prevalence of T2D and CHD; 4) calculation of cost savings with regard to reduced occurrence of T2D and CHD. The findings demonstrate that annual cost savings ranging from $ 43.8 to 317.8 million (T2D category) and $ 154.9 to 958.0 million (CHD category) can be achieved for the Canada’s health budgetary framework with the increased consumption of dietary pulses. The estimations of cost savings are contingent on four scenarios: ideal, optimistic, pessimistic, and very pessimistic. People susceptible to higher blood glucose, higher insulin, and higher total cholesterol could benefit considerably by substituting pulse-containing foods for unhealthy foods. The adaptation to a dietary pattern that includes pulses will result in significant expenditure reductions in Canada’s publicly funded health care system, lessening the economic burden of illness in Canada.
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Keywords
Coronary heart disease, Cost-of-illness analysis, Diabetes, Health care costs, Pulse consumption
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