Why We’re So Unhealthy
by Charles Hugh-Smith via PeakProsperity.com,
ZeroHedge.com
04/30/2016
That America is in the throes of a systemic health crisis can no longer be denied. According to the U.S. Department of Health And Human Services, more than two-thirds (68.8 percent) of adults are overweight or obese. (Overweight is typically defined as a body-mass index (BMI) of 25 or higher. A BMI of 24.9 is not exactly featherweight; I would have to add 30 pounds to reach a BMI of 24.9. )
The health risks of being overweight or obese include:
type 2 diabetes
heart disease
high blood pressure
nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (excess fat and inflammation in the liver of people who drink little or no alcohol)
osteoarthritis (a health problem causing pain, swelling, and stiffness in one or more joints)
some types of cancer: breast, colon, endometrial (related to the uterine lining), and kidney
stroke
Since the early 1960s, the prevalence of obesity among adults more than doubled, increasing from 13.4 to 35.7 percent in U.S. adults age 20 and older. (Source)
The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reported in 2015 that roughly half of all adult Americans are diabetic or prediabetic (also called metabolic syndrome).
If we add up everyone in America who is either suffering from or at risk of lifestyle-related diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and lifestyle-related types of cancer, it’s clear this is an unprecedented national health crisis that has no easy or cheap medical fix.
Why have we become so unhealthy? The answers come thick and fast: we are more sedentary as most work is now white-collar; the foods low-income people can afford are unhealthy; children now spend time playing digital games rather than playing outside; serving sizes of sodas and other high-calorie/low nutrition beverages have ballooned; people buy more convenience and fast foods and prepare fewer meals at home, and so on.
The Rest…HERE
