THE EFFECTS OF THE AMERICAN DIET

newhealthalert.net

Americans have been among the first people worldwide to have the luxury of bombarding themselves with nutrient-deficient, high-calorie  food, often called empty-calorie or junk food. By “empty-calorie,” I mean food that is deficient in nutrients and fiber. More Americans than ever before are eating these high-calorie foods while remaining inactive—a dangerous combination.         

 The number one health problem in the United States is obesity, and if the current trend continues, by the year 2048 all adults  in the United States will be overweight or obese. The National Institutes of Health estimate that obesity is associated with a twofold increase in mortality, costing society more than $100 billion per year. This is especially discouraging for dieters because after spending so much money attempting to lose weight, 95 percent of   them gain all the weight back and then add on even more pounds within three years. This incredibly high failure rate holds true for the vast majority of weight-loss schemes, programs, and diets.

Obesity and its sequelae pose a serious challenge to physicians. Both primary-care physicians and obesity-treatment specialists fail to make an impact on the long-term health of most of their patients. Studies show that initial weight loss is followed by weight regain.     

  Those who genetically store fat more efficiently may have had a survival advantage thousands of years ago when food was scarce, or in a famine, but in today’s modern food pantry they are the ones with the survival disadvantage. People whose parents are  obese have a tenfold increased risk of being obese. On the other hand, obese families tend to have obese pets, which is obviously not genetic. So it is the combination of food choices, inactivity, and genetics that determines obesity. More important, one can’t change one’s genes, so blaming them doesn’t solve the problem. Rather than taking an honest look  at what causes obesity, Americans are still looking for a miraculous cure—a magic diet or some other effortless gimmick.      

  Obesity is not just a cosmetic issue—extra weight leads to an earlier death, as many studies confirm. Overweight individuals are more likely to die from all causes, including heart disease and cancer. Two-thirds of those withweight problems also have hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, or another obesity-related condition. It is a major cause of early mortality in the United States. Since dieting almost never works and the health risks of obesity are so life-threatening, more and more people are desperately turning to drugs and surgical procedures to lose weight.         

Health Complications of Obesity

               • Increased overall premature mortality           

               • Adult-onset diabetes       

               • Hypertension  

               • Degenerative arthritis           

               • Coronary artery disease

                • Cancer

               • Lipid disorders       

               • Obstructive sleep apnea            

               • Gallstones            

               • Fatty infiltration of liver             

               • Restrictive lung disease             

               • Gastrointestinal diseases     

      The results so many of my patients have achieved utilizing the Eat to Live guidelines over the past twenty years rival what achieved with surgical weight-reduction techniques, without the associated morbidity and mortality.

Copyright ©Joel Fuhrman MD –Originally appeared in Eat to Live by Joel Fuhrman MD