If you are seated at a communal table, and you look at the person on each side of you and then look at yourself, theoretically, one of those people will get diabetes.
This would be true if projections from the CDC come true.
The fine print says that by 2050, 20%-33% of adults could have diabetes, with almost all of that being increases in type 2 diabetes. This assumes that nothing major will get done.
We have been told that 1 in 3 children born in 2000 would get diabetes at some point. This would be the fruition of that trend.
Diabetes, especially type 2, has been escalating, most prominently in the United States. The U.S. is the country that consumes more high-fructose corn syrup than any other country (though Canada and Mexico sadly are catching up).
Now we do know that high-fructose corn syrup isn't the only reason; but can we at least consider that there is a correlation?
Of course, with the inmates running the asylum, going the conventional route in eating will likely lead to bad consequences down the road. And diabetes is only part of that struggle. It's one thing to die early, but diabetes is a disease that can maim long before it kills.
The problem with eating junk food or food that is bad for you is that the category of food has become worse itself. As Michael Pollan noted, if you make your own junk food, you'll be better off.
The food revolution can't just be a bunch of well-minded films, books, and even a First Lady. The change that needs to come also can be seen in smaller battles, such as a soft drink made with sugar instead of high-fructose corn syrup or a parent appealing to a school to serve healthier lunches or increased sales in farmers markets.
The United States has the most inefficient health care system in the modern world — right now. Imagine how much worse this will get if the CDC is even remotely close in its predictions.
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