"RED-MEAT CONSUMPTION IS ALREADY LINKED TO HIGHER LEVELS OF COLORECTAL CANCER AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE (ATHEROSCLEROSIS, HEART DISEASE, AND STROKE). NOW RESEARCHERS FROM Harvard SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH (HSPH) HAVE ADDED AN INCREASED RISK OF TYPE-2 ADULT ONSET DIABETES TO THAT LIST." - HARVARD MAGAZINE.
I needed to focus on heart disease and cancer because so many of us are affected by, or at least aware of, them. But it needs to be pointed out that they are far from being the only conditions linked to eating animal products.
Take metabolic syndrome. You might not be familiar with metabolic syndrome, but between 20 and 25 percent of adult Americans suffer from it. The Mayo Clinic describes it as " a cluster of conditions -- increased blood pressure, a high blood sugar level, excess body fat around the waist, and abnormal cholesterol levels -- that occur together, increasing your risk of heart disease, strokes, and diabetes."
Even if you don't feel out of shape, if you eat the Standard American Diet (SAD), you are greatly at risk of metabolic syndrome. I have a friend who is thin and follows a very active lifestyle. But his job has him on the road most of the day, and he almost exclusively ate burgers from fast-food joints. He was astonished when he failed a routine blood sugar test and was diagnosed with pre-diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
You're probably more familiar with the term obesity, which is another condition linked to animal products. We tend to think of it as a term that applies only to "really fat" people, but that's not the case. According to the CDC, almost 35 percent of the American population, or close to seventy-eight (78) million people, are clinically obese. People are generally considered obese when their body mass index (BMI), a measurement obtained by dividing a person's weight by the square of the person's height, is over 30 kg/m2, with the range25–30 kg/m2 defined as overweight. Obesity is a condition where a person has accumulated so much body fat that it might have a negative effect on their health. If a person's bodyweight is at least 20% higher than it should be, he or she is considered obese. If your Body Mass Index (BMI) is between 25 and 29.9 you are considered overweight.
That means out of every three (3) people reading this blog, one of you is obese. And if you 're African American, that likelihood shoots up to one out of every two.
Of course, I do not need to quote studies to let you know we have an obesity problem in the United States ー you see the evidence every time you walk outside. Or maybe even just look in the mirror.
The effects of obesity are wide ranging. Emotionally, it makes you feel bad about yourself. No one feels good buying an extra-large shirt so they can hide their gut or walking around in sweatpants all the time because their jeans do not fit anymore. Just as no one likes having to tilt their head or try to look serious by resting their chin in their hand every time they pose for a picture because they're because they're embarrassed by their double chin.
Obesity and metabolic syndrome are also becoming major problems for young people. According to the CDC, childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolenscents in the last thirty years.
In 1980, 7 percent of American children were obese. In 2012, 22 years later, that number was up to 18 percent.
In 1980, just 5 percent of adolescents were obese, though that number was up to 21 percent in 2012. Overall in 2012, more than one-third of all American young people were either overweight or obese.
As a parent, those numbers are really troubling. The idea of millions of young people feeling fat and uncomfortable is really sad to me.
But again, let us forget about the emotional toll. The bigger issue is if this trend is allowed to continue unchecked, we are literally setting our younger generations up for an early death. Out of those 21 percent of young people who are currently obese, 70 percent of them already have one risk factor of cardiovascular disease. Almost 40 percent have two. These kids are basically heart attacks waiting to happen because of their diets. that's heartbreaking.
But one of the worst dangers of childhood obesity is that it often leads to diabetes, which is becoming a serious epidemic in this country. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, there is a direct link between eating red meat and the disease, especially type-2 diabetes. The study found the best way to prevent diabetes is to replace red meat in a person's diet with whole grains and nuts. "This is strong evidence that red meat consumption contributes to an increased risk of diabetes," said the study's author, Frank Hu of Harvard.
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I needed to focus on heart disease and cancer because so many of us are affected by, or at least aware of, them. But it needs to be pointed out that they are far from being the only conditions linked to eating animal products.
Take metabolic syndrome. You might not be familiar with metabolic syndrome, but between 20 and 25 percent of adult Americans suffer from it. The Mayo Clinic describes it as " a cluster of conditions -- increased blood pressure, a high blood sugar level, excess body fat around the waist, and abnormal cholesterol levels -- that occur together, increasing your risk of heart disease, strokes, and diabetes."
Even if you don't feel out of shape, if you eat the Standard American Diet (SAD), you are greatly at risk of metabolic syndrome. I have a friend who is thin and follows a very active lifestyle. But his job has him on the road most of the day, and he almost exclusively ate burgers from fast-food joints. He was astonished when he failed a routine blood sugar test and was diagnosed with pre-diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
You're probably more familiar with the term obesity, which is another condition linked to animal products. We tend to think of it as a term that applies only to "really fat" people, but that's not the case. According to the CDC, almost 35 percent of the American population, or close to seventy-eight (78) million people, are clinically obese. People are generally considered obese when their body mass index (BMI), a measurement obtained by dividing a person's weight by the square of the person's height, is over 30 kg/m2, with the range25–30 kg/m2 defined as overweight. Obesity is a condition where a person has accumulated so much body fat that it might have a negative effect on their health. If a person's bodyweight is at least 20% higher than it should be, he or she is considered obese. If your Body Mass Index (BMI) is between 25 and 29.9 you are considered overweight.
That means out of every three (3) people reading this blog, one of you is obese. And if you 're African American, that likelihood shoots up to one out of every two.
Of course, I do not need to quote studies to let you know we have an obesity problem in the United States ー you see the evidence every time you walk outside. Or maybe even just look in the mirror.
The effects of obesity are wide ranging. Emotionally, it makes you feel bad about yourself. No one feels good buying an extra-large shirt so they can hide their gut or walking around in sweatpants all the time because their jeans do not fit anymore. Just as no one likes having to tilt their head or try to look serious by resting their chin in their hand every time they pose for a picture because they're because they're embarrassed by their double chin.
Obesity and metabolic syndrome are also becoming major problems for young people. According to the CDC, childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolenscents in the last thirty years.
In 1980, 7 percent of American children were obese. In 2012, 22 years later, that number was up to 18 percent.
In 1980, just 5 percent of adolescents were obese, though that number was up to 21 percent in 2012. Overall in 2012, more than one-third of all American young people were either overweight or obese.
As a parent, those numbers are really troubling. The idea of millions of young people feeling fat and uncomfortable is really sad to me.
But again, let us forget about the emotional toll. The bigger issue is if this trend is allowed to continue unchecked, we are literally setting our younger generations up for an early death. Out of those 21 percent of young people who are currently obese, 70 percent of them already have one risk factor of cardiovascular disease. Almost 40 percent have two. These kids are basically heart attacks waiting to happen because of their diets. that's heartbreaking.
But one of the worst dangers of childhood obesity is that it often leads to diabetes, which is becoming a serious epidemic in this country. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, there is a direct link between eating red meat and the disease, especially type-2 diabetes. The study found the best way to prevent diabetes is to replace red meat in a person's diet with whole grains and nuts. "This is strong evidence that red meat consumption contributes to an increased risk of diabetes," said the study's author, Frank Hu of Harvard.
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