The conversation about viruses with respect to the covid pandemic must include understanding the relationship food’s impact has with our body’s ability to fight off infection and recover.
Nutrition policy must be at the center of the conversation
In the coming months, much conversation will be centered around how to mitigate and prepare for pandemics like COVID-19. As we look at the death toll from this disease, reports show that many of the people who died had obesity and other related ailments including Type 2 diabetes. There’s a clear correlation between death rate and obesity and diabetes — the more severe, the higher the death rate.
Apologies for sounding like a broken record… but here we go….
Since the U.S. Dietary Guidelines were introduced, adult obesity rates have doubled, while childhood obesity has tripled. Annual medical spending attributed to obesity nationally is nearly $150 billion, about half of which is paid to Medicare and Medicaid. And rates continue to climb. Researchers have estimated that by 2030 if obesity trends continue unchecked, obesity-related medical costs alone could rise by $48 to $66 billion a year in the United States.
The evidence is clear. If we don’t change course, many Americans will continue to follow the current guidelines that not only won’t improve their health but could make them sicker. We can alter this path by acknowledging that low-carbohydrate nutrition requires serious consideration for its inclusion in our dietary guidelines, and not merely as a footnote.
The case is urgent, and the solution is apparent. What remains is for the U.S. government to step up and safeguard public health immediately. - Dr. Jeff Volek, Ph.D., R.D.