THE NUTRITIONAL TRANSITION IN URBAN WOMEN: A SOCIO-SCIENTIFIC ANALYSIS OF DIETARY EVOLUTION, SENSORY PHENOTYPES, AND METABOLIC HEALTH (2006–2026)
Keywords:
Nutritional Transition, Metabolic Health, Women’s Studies, Food Culture, Urbanization, Scientific Culture.Abstract
Over the past two decades, the global dietary landscape has shifted from traditional whole-food systems to ultra-processed environments. This study (N=104) examines the nutritional transition among urban women, focusing on the evolution of staple grain consumption, sensory phenotypes, and metabolic health. Utilizing cross-sectional data from four age deciles (20-60 years), we identified a "Knowledge-Action Gap." While 46% of respondents act as primary nutritional gatekeepers for their households, adoption of recommended "planetary health" grains like millets remains low (15% regular integration). Furthermore, 44% maintain a high preference for sweet sensory phenotypes despite rising metabolic morbidity. The findings suggest that cultural taste preferences and time poverty act as significant barriers to the scientific recommendations for non-communicable disease (NCD) prevention.
