ARTICLES

“Evolution is the fundamental idea in all of life science – in all of biology.” Bill Nye

Genetics

National Geographic’s 2019 gene issue contains a wealth of health information. Chapter 3 is entitled Your Genes, Your Health. The magazine is full of fascinating facts, such as “a small percentage of Europeans are HIV resistant because of genetic mutations caused by the plagues of the Middle Ages,” or “There are 10,000 different genetic conditions that can cause serious health problems for those who inherit them.”⁽¹⁾

Health

IDF (International Diabetes Federation) Consensus Worldwide Definition of the Metabolic Syndrome: “The metabolic syndrome is a cluster of the most dangerous heart attack risk factors: diabetes and pre-diabetes, abdominal obesity, high cholesterol and high blood pressure.”⁽²⁾ To download the consensus statement, click here.

The American Heart Association’s website About Metabolic Syndrome defines metabolic syndrome and describes management techniques. Advice for working with your healthcare provider and a printable fact sheet on metabolic syndrome is included.⁽³⁾ To access, click here.

WebMD cites new research published in the Journal of Public Health in their article Air Pollution Bad News for Your Blood Pressure. The 2019 study suggests that long-term exposure to air pollution could raise the risk of high blood pressure and metabolic syndrome.⁽⁴⁾ To read, click here.

See Research for medical research studies.

Food

Why the World is Becoming More Allergic to Food, BBC News. Food Allergies are on the rise in industrialized societies. “Although allergic responses are complex, it appears that a combination of environmental factors, including pollution and changes in diet, have changed the way our immune systems respond to the environment.”⁽⁵⁾ 

 America’s Health is Declining — And Corporations are Stoking the Crisis, CNN 2017 Opinion article written by Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University. In addition to low value for healthcare dollars spent and the consequences of the widening gap between rich and poor, Dr. Sachs names two corporate-caused health epidemics: obesity and opioid addictions. He states, “Americans are being killed slowly and painfully by their own food industry.”⁽⁶⁾ 

Here’s how much fast food Americans are eating, CNN 2017. Fast food consumption in the U.S. is increasing. Parents are buying more kids meals that have healthy choices, such as fruit. Some studies have found that approximately one-third of children eat fast food on any given day. Fast food still contains much more salt, bad fats, and sugars than than food prepared at home. Eating too much fast food increases the risk of metabolic disorders such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity.⁽⁷⁾

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, includes an informative Overweight & Obesity section on their website. It includes data & statistics, adult and childhood overweight and obesity, healthy food environments, and strategies to prevent obesity. Their efforts “focus on policy and environmental strategies to make healthy eating and active living accessible and affordable for everyone.”⁽⁸⁾ To access, click here.

 Bugs, rodent hair, and poop: How much is legally allowed in the food you eat every day?, CNN 2019. “Cross-contamination from raw food, undercooking food, hand-washing and spreading germs from raw food, those are the things that contribute to the more than 48 million cases of foodborne illness we have every year in the US.”⁽⁹⁾

Air Pollution

Air Quality Improvements are Saving Thousands of Lives, Time magazine. Deaths in the U.S. from air pollution have fallen due to air quality regulations. According to a recent report from the American Thoracic Society and NYU, “Since 2010 alone…mortality associated with particulate matter-exposure to which is associated with health problems including respiratory issues, cancer, and heart disease-fell by 60%.”⁽¹⁰⁾

Millions More Americans Breathe Unhealthy Air as Pollution Worsens, Time magazine. Air pollution in the U.S. is on the rise again, due to the effects of climate change. As air quality regulations are overturned, the rise in the number of people breathing unhealthy air will continue to climb. As of 2017, more than 141 million Americans are breathing unhealthy air.⁽¹⁰⁾ For the American Lung Association’s Healthy Air Campaign, click here.⁽¹¹⁾

Plastics

You eat thousands of bits of plastic every year, National Geographic 2019. Microplastics collect in our bodies from many different sources, including salt, sugar, honey, and bottled water. Plastics are used at every point in the food production process. Microplastics can be found in our food, water, and air; they can be breathed in with dust. Exposure can be reduced with lifestyle changes, such as choosing tap water over bottled water.⁽¹²⁾ 

References

1) Perritano, J. (2019). Your Genes, Your Health. National Geographic. pp. 56–73.
2) Air Pollution Bad News for Your Blood Pressure. (June 27, 2019). WebMD. www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/news/20190627/air-pollution-bad-news-for-blood-pressure. For article, click here.
3) Alberti, G., & Zimmet, P. (2006). IDF Consensus Worldwide Definition of the Metabolic Syndrome. International Diabetes Federation. www.idf.org/e-library/consensus-statements/60-idfconsensus-worldwide-definitionof-the-metabolic-syndrome.html. For article, click here.
4) About Metabolic Syndrome. (July 31, 2016). American Heart Association. www.heart.org/en/health-topics/metabolic-syndrome/about-metabolic-syndrome. For article, click here.
5) Santos, A. (September 13, 2019). Why the World Is Becoming More Allergic to Food. BBC. https://bbc.com/news/health46302780. For article, click here.
6) Sachs, J. (December 27, 2017). America’s Health Is Declining — and Corporations Are Stoking This Crisis. CNN. www.cnn.com/2017/12/27/opinions/life-expectancy-corporations-opinion-sachs/index.html. For article, click here. 
7) Howard, J. (October 3, 2018). Here’s How Much Fast Food Americans Are Eating. CNN. www.cnn.com/2018/10/03/health/fast-food-consumption-cdc-study/index.html. For article, click here.  
8) Overweight & Obesity | CDC. (September 12, 2019). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. www.cdc.gov/obesity/index.html. For article, click here.
9) LaMotte, S. (October 4, 2019). Bugs, Rodent Hair and Poop: How Much Is Legally Allowed in the Food You Eat Every Day? CNN. www.cnn.com/2019/10/04/health/insect-rodent-filth-in-food-wellness/index.html. For article, click here.  
10) Ducharme, J. (May 22, 2019). Air Quality Improvements Are Saving Thousands of Lives. Time. https://time.com/5592875/health-of-the-air-report/. For article, click here.  
11) Reilly, K. (April 24, 2019). Millions More Americans Breathe Unhealthy Air as Pollution Worsens. Time. https://time.com/5577203/state-of-the-air-pollution-report-2019/. For article, click here. 
12) Gibbens, S. (June 5, 2019). You Eat Thousands of Bits of Plastic Every Year. National Geographic. https://nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/06/you-eat-thousands-of-bits-of-plastic-every-year/. For article, click here.