Poor diet: The #1 driver of disease and early death around the world
There has been a steady stream of powerful scientific articles lately pointing to the bad things bad diets do to us. I'll post some of the others here soon. First though is one from the September 11 issue of the Lancet. It's a big study, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, that looked at the causes of death globally over a period of about 25 years. Alarmingly,it showed that in many regions of the world the old causes of premature death; unsafe water, poor sanitation, child and maternal malnutrition, have been replaced by poor diet and hypertension (elevated blood pressure, often associated with poor diet).
The researchers showed that diet is a giant concern, especially since it's something that is within our grasp to change. In their conclusions they stated "At the global level, the most important contributors to the overall burden of diet are low fruit, high sodium, low whole grains, low vegetables and low nuts and seeds."
Though it is difficult to get "enough" of these whole foods and the vital nutrients they provide, it is doable. Making even changes in our nutrient consumption patterns can lead to big rewards. From my perspective and understanding, to get that done there is no better way than choosing more whole food and whole food supplements. Helping people everywhere get that done should be Job#1 for all of us.