Read 202 times since Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Two major health issues affect the future of many Western countries. These are diabetes and obesity and both are a byproduct of economies and cultures that allow lifestyles and habits that prove harmful to both young and old.
These conditions by themselves are not harmful but the complications arising from these two conditions are what prove to be crippling to many. These include cardiovascular issues, hospitalization and organ failure when these two conditions come to fore in an individual.
According to the latest statistics, nearly 8.7% of the adults in the United States have been diagnosed with diabetes in 2011. This is a significant increase from the previous year's tally of 8.3%. In the longer-term comparison, the 2011 figures are 42.6% higher than the numbers back in 2001. It is projected that about 10% of total health care spending would be used for diabetes and diabetes related complications. This totals $208 billion in 2011 dollar terms.
As for obesity, the US adult obesity rate has reached 27.5% for 2011 compared to 26.9% in 2010. Comparing these numbers from the 2001 rates, there is a 37.5% jump in just ten years. Also, there was no US state where the adult obesity rate is below 20% of the population. This means, one in every five Americans throughout the country is considered obese. Obesity costs the country nearly $147 billion in direct health care expenses and lost man hours. Without a doubt, bad eating habits and the sedentary lifestyle has contributed to the obesity explosion.
While this may all be up in the air, the reality is obesity can result in diabetes. This means the increased fat in the body as a result of high carbohydrate and sugar intake taxes the body that makes it unable to produce the proper amounts of insulin to manage the blood glucose levels. And this is but the first step to a long and deepening crisis for a lifetime.
With obesity, the bones become brittle because of the increased weight carried. Furthermore, cardiovascular issues come to fore making for hypertension and other health issues to become prevalent. When diabetes sets in, the higher blood glucose levels leads to neuropathy as fine blood vessels do not get properly oxygenated leading to cellular and even more dire, organ failure occurs. As such, what is essential is to undertake an obesity preventive lifestyle to prevent not only the onset of obesity but also further complications arising from diabetes. Bobby Castro is the online editor at the Diabetes Forum, where he has published a number of articles about diabetes symptoms and many other topics.
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