Disease Proof : Disease Proof : Health & Nutrition News & Commentary : Dr. Joel Fuhrman

• Mom is tired so she stops by Dairy Queen on the way home from the late afternoon soccer game. She orders a Blizzard for herself and dipped cones for the children. There are some chips and leftover slices of pizza at home if anyone gets hungry before bed.   Lately she’s been too wiped out to care.

• Junior is sitting in front of the computer munching on Doritos for supper. Dad and Mom don’t mind because they are lounging in their lazy boys watching the news while eating cheddar melts and curly fries. Later on they plan to dig into the two quarts of fudge ripple and butter pecan ice cream that’s in the freezer. Cooking and setting-the-table for dinner are obsolete words in their household. 

• Baby is teething and cranky but the frazzled Mom has discovered that McDonald’s salted fries do the trick to quiet him down every time. Her two-year-old is also a happy camper when eating a Happy Meal in Playland. Mom has found the perfect place of serenity to escape to while eating Big Macs and chocolate sundaes at the golden arches.  

• When the new parents held their twins for the first time, they had ideals for excellent nutrition. However, one by one, those ideals were tossed by the wayside in the flood of social events and birthday parties. Hotdogs, donuts, cake and ice-cream took over the best of logic and common sense. The pressure to fit in overcame the desire to be healthy. Today their teens eat chicken nuggets, cheeseburgers, or pizza pockets most nights of the week.                  

In a study conducted by RAND Corporation, alcoholism increases the risk of chronic illnesses by 12%; cigarette smoking increases the risk of chronic illnesses by 25%; and obesity increases the risk of chronic illnesses by 67%.¹

We have laws established to govern and prohibit the sale of both cigarettes and alcohol to minors, yet gluttonous eating that leads to obesity and poor health is practiced everywhere; especially by adults who are setting the example and leading the way by promoting the dangerous lifestyle. 

An infant is encouraged to eat French fries that develops into an addiction for salty, high fat, processed foods in the preschool years; which snowballs into craving bags of chips and slices of pizza during the pre-teen / teen years. Chronic fatigue from malnutrition is replaced by Pepsi, coffee and energy drinks that become the drugs of choice through college and beyond. Over time, hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, fatigue, and depression become the accepted and expected, All-American diseases; stimulating the economy by keeping drug reps employed, pharmaceutical companies in business, and surgical suites well staffed. 

When a faulty crib or playpen is recalled a wise parent returns the product. 

When crossing a busy street a careful guardian holds a child’s hand.

When danger lies ahead a prudent caregiver changes paths.

A victim is one that is [intentionally or unintentionally] injured, harmed, or destroyed by another.

 

Are children the innocent victims of our vices?

¹ RAND Corporation; “The Health Risks of Obesity”; © 2002

 image credits - Flickr: babies by paparutzi; Pepsi Max by Lord Biro

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Depression is a growing problem in our society, and diabetes has reached epidemic proportions.
Major depressive disorder affects nearly 15 million American adults – that’s almost 7% of the adult population, and it is the leading cause of disability in the U.S. for individuals aged 15-44. [1] Type 2 diabetes affects almost 10% of Americans, about 24 million people, and is the 7th leading cause of death in the U.S. [2]

In women, it has been shown that those with depression are more likely to develop diabetes, and those with diabetes are more likely to develop clinical depression.[3] Diabetes doubles the risk of heart attack and stroke, and depression is also an independent risk factor for heart disease, increasing risk by 64%. [2, 4] A new study has found that the coexistence of depression and diabetes imposes additive detrimental effects, especially with regard to death from cardiovascular disease. As a part of the Nurses’ Health Study, 78,000 women were followed for 6 years, and diagnoses of depression and type 2 diabetes were recorded.

Compared to subjects with neither diabetes nor depression:

• Depression alone increased risk of all-cause mortality by 53%, and cardiovascular mortality by 56%
• Diabetes alone increased risk of all-cause mortality by 52%, and cardiovascular mortality by 146%
• The risk of death from all causes climbed in those with both conditions to more than double, and risk of cardiovascular mortality almost quadruple that of individuals with neither condition.
• Those who had lived with diabetes for more than ten years combined with depression more than tripled their risk of death from cardiovascular disease.
• Depressed individuals who were also on insulin therapy had almost 5 times the risk of death from cardiovascular disease.[5, 6]

This is a reminder not only of the substantial health hazards associated with diabetes, but also the significance of the mind-body connection – in this study, depression increased the risk of death from all causes by 53%. Psychological conditions profoundly affect physical health. The potential physiological effects of depression on the cardiovascular system include increased platelet aggregation and inflammation, sympathetic nervous system hyperactivity, and impaired endothelial function. [7] Living healthfully, with the right lifestyle and diet-style in conjunction with judicious use of supplements to assure comprehensive nutritional adequacy can go a long way to making sure you and your loved ones avoid both diabetes and depression.

No one needs to resign to becoming a victim of these common American conditions.

Even if you have or have had depression, there are effective natural methods for getting well. Dr. Fuhrman uses a treatment regimen that includes morning light therapy and exercise combined with a high nutrient diet and supplementation with vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids for patients with depression. Type 2 diabetes is a disease of poor lifestyle choices. As such, health-promoting lifestyle habits – a plant-based diet and exercise – are established in the medical literature as effective treatments for diabetes. [8-13] Furthermore, Dr. Fuhrman’s high-nutrient, vegetable-based diet offers dramatic results as it unlocks the body’s enormous healing potential, enabling many people to completely reverse their diabetes. Living a healthy lifestyle allows you to take control of your own health – both physical and mental health.

References:

1. The Numbers Count: Mental Disorders in America.
2. American Diabetes Association: Diabetes statistics. Available from: http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/diabetes-statistics/.
3. Pan, A., et al., Bidirectional association between depression and type 2 diabetes mellitus in women. Arch Intern Med, 2010. 170(21): p. 1884-91.
4. Wulsin, L.R. and B.M. Singal, Do depressive symptoms increase the risk for the onset of coronary disease? A systematic quantitative review. Psychosom Med, 2003. 65(2): p. 201-10.
5. Pan, A., et al., Increased mortality risk in women with depression and diabetes mellitus. Arch Gen Psychiatry, 2011. 68(1): p. 42-50.
6. Walsh, N. Depression Plus Diabetes Raises CV Death Risk. Medpage Today, 2011.
7. Huffman, J.C., C.M. Celano, and J.L. Januzzi, The relationship between depression, anxiety, and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with acute coronary syndromes. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat, 2010. 6: p. 123-36.
8. Barnard, N.D., et al., A low-fat vegan diet and a conventional diabetes diet in the treatment of type 2 diabetes: a randomized, controlled, 74-wk clinical trial. Am J Clin Nutr, 2009. 89(5): p. 1588S-1596S.
9. Barnard, N.D., et al., A low-fat vegan diet improves glycemic control and cardiovascular risk factors in a randomized clinical trial in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care, 2006. 29(8): p. 1777-83.
10. Barnard, N.D., et al., Vegetarian and vegan diets in type 2 diabetes management. Nutr Rev, 2009. 67(5): p. 255-63.
11. Trapp, C.B. and N.D. Barnard, Usefulness of vegetarian and vegan diets for treating type 2 diabetes. Curr Diab Rep, 2010. 10(2): p. 152-8.
12. Thomas, D.E., E.J. Elliott, and G.A. Naughton, Exercise for type 2 diabetes mellitus. Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2006. 3: p. CD002968.
13. Conn, V.S., et al., Metabolic effects of interventions to increase exercise in adults with type 2 diabetes. Diabetologia, 2007. 50(5): p. 913-21.

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