Diabetes and Processed Foods Intake
The Obesity Society points out that Type 2 diabetes is linked to obesity and physical inactivity. The American Heart Association states:
Obesity is now recognized as a major risk factor for coronary heart disease. Some reasons for this higher risk are known, but others are not. For example, obesity: 1: raises blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels. 2: lowers HDL “good” cholesterol. HDL cholesterol is linked with lower heart disease and stroke risk, so reducing it tends o raise the risk. 3: raises blood pressure levels. 4: can induce diabetes.
Diabetes growth in the general public has become virtually parabolic. It’s projected that one-third of all Americans by 2050 will have this devastating disease. And interestingly, you can match a diabetes chart alongside food consumption charts, the use of high fructose corn syrup, trans fat, salt, etc., and see a pretty close correlation. As people ingest more bad elements, the body starts to lose the war and one big pothole is diabetes. Diabetes is starting to hit the public like a tsunami of disease.
If you want a villain in the diabetes drama besides the lack of will power (an individual battle), you could point at processed foods. The simple fact is that there wasn’t a diabetes issue until people began eating lots of processed foods. The rise in the intake of processed foods and junk diets mirrors the rise in obesity and diabetes quite clearly.
Processed foods are low in fiber and high in various types of garbage (preservatives, trans fat, high fructose corn syrup, lots of salt, chemicals, colorings, artificial flavorings, etc.), and many of the additives in processed food are not healthy for you in small amounts, let alone as an everyday staple of the diet.
Diabetes is already inching its way toward being in the group of the top five causes of death (in 2007 it was number 7) and the health care costs to the baby boomers from this disease will be literally massive. And don’t’ expect diabetes to let up with the large number of obese children in the overweight and obese states already.
