11.6 million people are going to die next year by something that can be prevented

• 11.6 people–it’s quite incredible when you think about it…
  • • 21% of global deaths can be attributed to diets high in red meat and sugary drinks, and lacking in fruit, vegetables, and whole grains (link)
    • 55.3 million people die each year (link)

• No one really dies of old age. What kills people according to the CDC (at least in the USA) are primarily diseases that have connections back to a person’s lifestyle.

• Even with all our great healthcare life expectancy is lower in the USA than in many other countries. (great read at NYT)

• 70% of Americans take prescription drugs and more than 50% take 2 (Mayo Clinic). This is an increase from 44% in 2000.

• What you eat matters—A LOT!

“Healthy eating may be best achieved with a plant-based diet, which we define as a regimen that encourages whole, plant-based foods and discourages meats, dairy products, and eggs as well as all refined and processed foods. We present a case study as an example of the potential health benefits of such a diet. Research shows that plant-based diets are cost-effective, low-risk interventions that may lower body mass index, blood pressure, HbA_1C, and cholesterol levels. They may also reduce the number of medications needed to treat chronic diseases and lower ischemic heart disease mortality rates. Physicians should consider recommending a plant-based diet to all their patients, especially those with high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or obesity.” – Kaiser Permanente

Food for thought in regards to the bullets above–Could the US life expectancy be lower because of the amount of financial influence that the pharmaceutical, processed food, meat, dairy, sugar and poultry agribusiness lobbyists have on congress?

• Among U.S. adults, more than 90 percent of type 2 diabetes, 80 percent of CAD, 70 percent of stroke, and 70 percent of colon cancer are potentially preventable by a combination of nonsmoking, avoidance of overweight, moderate physical activity, healthy diet, and moderate alcohol consumption. — Willett So, if the most common diseases that kill people “are potentially preventable” why does the US diet score so low on the international diet quality index? (summary) –the answer is ‘dopamine’.  The higher in calories the food, the more dopamine is released in the brain.  Read more here about dopamine…

• Oxford University found that moderate obesity (BMI of 30 to 35) reduces life expectancy by about 3 years, and severe obesity (BMI of 30 to 35), can shorten a person’s life by 10 years. Here is a BMI calculator.

• Only 22.9% of adults meet the Department of Health and Human Services national and state-wide exercise guidelines (18.7% of women and 27.2% of men) yet it’s been proven that exercise extends life expectancy by as much as 4.5 years. – link and Strength training (lifting weights) has been proven to extend life expectancy… Lifters have a 46 percent less risk of early death than people who don’t lift.  Lifters also have a 41 percent less chance of having a cardiac-related death and a 19 percent chance of dying from cancer. –Penn State College of Medicine.

Other reading:

• How Not to Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease  by Michael Greger
• Younger Next Year: A Guide to Living Like 50 Until You’re 80 and Beyond

  by Chris Crowley

• https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/11-graphs-that-show-what-is-wrong-with-modern-diet
• https://www.vox.com/2016/8/31/12368246/charts-explain-obesity