Health
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The chronic disease problem is far from being limited to the developed regions of the world. Contrary to widely held beliefs, developing countries are increasingly suffering from high levels of public health problems related to chronic diseases. It is clear that the earlier labelling of chronic diseases as “diseases of affluence” is increasingly a misnomer, as they emerge both in poorer countries and in the poorer population groups in richer countries. This shift in the pattern of disease is taking place at an accelerating rate; furthermore, it is occurring at a faster rate in developing countries than it did in the industrialized regions of the world half a century ago (3). This rapid rate of change, together with the increasing burden of disease, is creating a major public health threat which demands immediate and effective action. https://www.who.int/nutrition/topics/2_background/en/ - https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/11/the-rise-of-chronic-disease/
Chronic disease has been drastically increasing over the past half century:
- http://www.ncsl.org/print/health/DHoffmanFF08.pdf
- https://www.who.int/nutrition/topics/2_background/en/
- https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/infographic/chronic-diseases.htm
- https://web.archive.org/web/20190423130243/https://www.mdedge.com/ccjm/article/189671/infectious-diseases/our-missing-microbes-short-term-antibiotic-courses-have-long
Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity and Associated Factors among Private Primary School Students in Gulele Sub-City of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (2018) https://www.omicsonline.org/open-access/prevalence-of-overweight-and-obesity-and-associated-factors-among-private-primary-school-students-in-gulele-subcity-of-addis-ababa-2161-1165-1000352-104484.html "In Africa, despite a high prevalence of under nutrition, the prevalence of obesity is increasing at an alarming rate. The fastest overweight and obesity growth rates are found in Africa, the number of overweight or obese children in 2010 doubled than what it was in 1990"
Mortality in midlife in the US has increased across racial-ethnic populations in recent years (2018): https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.k3096 “That death rates are increasing throughout the US population for dozens of conditions signals a systemic cause and warrants prompt action by policy makers to tackle the factors responsible for declining health in the US”
America’s Obesity Problem is Getting Even Worse (2018): http://www.gizmodo.co.uk/2018/09/americas-obesity-problem-is-getting-even-worse/
Over half of young adults are obese or overweight (2021) https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/what-percent-young-adults-obese/2021/12/03/b6010f98-5387-11ec-9267-17ae3bde2f26_story.html
The risk of developing an obesity-related cancer seems to be increasing in a stepwise manner in successively younger birth cohorts in the USA. (Feb 2019): https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-2667(18)30267-6
Life expectancy falls by six months in biggest drop in UK forecasts (Mar 2019): https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/mar/07/life-expectancy-slumps-by-five-months "Some analysts, however, blame austerity and cuts in NHS spending, others point to worsening obesity, dementia and diabetes"
In the UK mortality rates for almost all age groups have risen, for both men and women. The rise in mortality is not due to ageing (July 2019) https://theconversation.com/mortality-rates-are-still-rising-in-the-uk-and-everyone-is-ignoring-how-many-more-people-are-dying-119618
Depression and Suicide Rates Are Rising Sharply in Young Americans (Mar 2019): http://time.com/5550803/depression-suicide-rates-youth/ - https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/abn-abn0000410.pdf
Number of US children and teens who visited ERs for suicidal thoughts and attempts, doubled between 2007 and 2015. (April 2019): https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/08/health/child-teen-suicide-er-study/index.html
In industrialized societies the incidence of allergic diseases like atopic dermatitis, food allergies, and asthma has risen alarmingly over the last few decades (Feb 2019): https://www.jci.org/articles/view/124610
This cancer (colon) is on the rise in young adults — and doctors don’t know why (Mar 2019): https://www.aol.com/article/lifestyle/2019/03/18/this-cancer-is-on-the-rise-in-young-adults-and-doctors-dont-know-why/23695107/. https://academic.oup.com/jnci/article/109/8/djw322/3053481
Experts warn of fatty liver disease 'epidemic' in young people. Study finds substantial numbers of young people at risk of liver cancer, diabetes and heart attacks https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/apr/12/experts-warn-of-fatty-liver-disease-epidemic-in-young-people. 4021 young adults, UK, NAFLD. Title(?): The prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in young adults: An impending public health crisis?.
The incidence of urinary stone disease (USD) has increased four-fold in 50 years. (Jan 2019): https://www.nature.com/articles/s41396-019-0357-4
1 in 5 US adolescents is now prediabetic (Dec 2019) https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/02/health/prediabetes-adolescents-study/index.html
Dramatic rise in cancer in people under 50 (Sep 2022) https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2022/09/researchers-report-dramatic-rise-in-early-onset-cancers/
'Very Concerning' Neurological Study Finds Disorders Increasing Worldwide (Mar 2024) https://www.newsweek.com/neurological-disorders-common-worldwide-health-1878910 Global, regional, and national burden of disorders affecting the nervous system, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021.
An analysis of some 730,000 IQ test results by researchers from the Ragnar Frisch Centre for Economic Research in Norway reveals the Flynn effect hit its peak for people born during the mid-1970s, and has significantly declined ever since [1][2].
Nearly 70 percent of Americans are on at least one prescription drug, and more than half take two (2013): http://www.mayoclinic.org/news2013-rst/7543.html - https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/drug-use-therapeutic.htm
On any given day, 1 in 5 American youngsters don't drink any water at all, finds a new study of US children and young adults in JAMA Pediatrics, and those who don't end up consuming almost twice as many calories from sugar-sweetened beverages. (April 2019): https://www.upi.com/Health_News/2019/04/22/Children-in-US-dont-drink-enough-water-opt-for-sugary-juice-instead/7101555963685/
Public health officials have made some progress in reducing childhood obesity rates in deprived areas of England by implementing programs to educate children at critical junctures in their development (pre-school, and transitioning from primary school to secondary school) https://www.bbc.com/news/health-48113843
https://web.archive.org/web/20210223223318/https://old.reddit.com/r/California_Politics/comments/b7o7yh/follow_up_to_recent_thread_about_new_appointment/ - https://archive.ph/BL1n8
PSA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUmp67YDlHY
Microbiome: https://humanmicrobiome.info/obesity/
Nationwide obesity rates have more than tripled since the 1960s. https://usafacts.org/articles/obesity-rate-nearly-triples-united-states-over-last-50-years/
More than one billion people around the world are now suffering from obesity with the number having more than quadrupled since 1990 (Mar 2024) https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-03-billion-afflicted-obesity-lancet.html
Review, 2018: Microbiome dynamics in obesity https://www.science.org/doi/full/10.1126/science.aav6870 "The prevalence of obesity has increased at an astounding rate over the past decades. More than 44% of the global population is estimated to be overweight, and more than 300 million individuals are affected by morbid adiposity"
Overweight and obesity is associated with increased risk of all cause mortality:
BMI and all cause mortality: systematic review and non-linear dose-response meta-analysis of 230 cohort studies with 3.74 million deaths among 30.3 million participants (2016): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4856854/
Body-Mass Index and Mortality among 1.46 Million White Adults (2011): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3066051/
Less Than 3 Percent of Americans Live a ‘Healthy Lifestyle’: http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2016/03/less-than-3-percent-of-americans-live-a-healthy-lifestyle/475065/
Those with inadequate access to food likely to suffer from obesity (2019): https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-01-inadequate-access-food-obesity.html
Why Low-Income and Food-Insecure People are Vulnerable to Poor Nutrition and Obesity http://frac.org/obesity-health/low-income-food-insecure-people-vulnerable-poor-nutrition-obesity
The increasing use of plus-sized models in advertising campaigns may be contributing to growing rates of obesity, suggests a Canadian new study (2015) https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/12/151209183550.htm. The (Ironic) Dove Effect: Use of Acceptance Cues for Larger Body Types Increases Unhealthy Behaviors https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1509/jppm.14.020
Maternal obesity compromises babies' immune system at time of birth (2015): http://www.mdnewsdaily.com/articles/3253/20150518/maternal-obesity-compromises-babies-immune-system-at-time-of-birth.htm
Excess weight among pregnant women may interfere with child's developing brain https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/08/200811120149.htm An examination of maternal prenatal BMI and human fetal brain development (Aug, 2020, n=109).
The impact of maternal obesity on childhood neurodevelopment (review, Nov 2020) https://www.nature.com/articles/s41372-020-00871-0 "The prevalence of obesity during pregnancy is increasing rapidly, which may have health consequences not just for mothers, but for their offspring, even across generations"
Childhood obesity: a life-long health risk (2012) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4010330/
Childhood obesity linked to higher risk of anxiety, depression and premature death (Mar 2020) https://news.ki.se/childhood-obesity-linked-to-higher-risk-of-anxiety-depression-and-premature-death
Early life exercise may promote lasting brain and metabolic health through gut bacterial metabolites (2015) https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/12/151229204252.htm
Obesity, Early Life Gut Microbiota, and Antibiotics (review, 2021) https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/9/2/413
Higher Abdominal Fat Associated with Cognitive Decline. Association between abdominal adiposity and cognitive decline in older adults: a 10-year community-based study (Mar 2024, n=873) https://www.lifespan.io/news/higher-abdominal-fat-associated-with-cognitive-decline/
Scientists have shown that physical fitness is associated with better brain structure and brain functioning in young adults. Increasing fitness levels may lead to improved cognitive ability, such as memory and problem solving, as well as improved structural changes in the brain. (Sep 2019) https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-09/econ-tfa090919.php. White matter microstructure mediates the association between physical fitness and cognition in healthy, young adults.
Adolescents with high levels of physical activity perform better in school over two academic years https://www.jyu.fi/en/current/archive/2019/09/adolescents-with-high-levels-of-physical-activity-perform-better-in-school-over-two-academic-years. Longitudinal associations of physical activity and pubertal development with academic achievement in adolescents (Jul 2019).
Regular physical activity seems to enhance cognition in children who need it most http://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/research-list/p202007151123 Baseline Cognitive Performance Moderates the Effects of Physical Activity on Executive Functions in Children (Jul 2020, n=292)
"Published studies have long found a correlation between obesity in children and decreased executive function" https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-12-obesity-affect-brain-children.html
Body Weight Has Surprising, Alarming Impact on Brain Function. Higher BMI is linked to decreased cerebral blood flow, which is associated with increased risk of Alzheimer's disease and mental illness (Aug 2020) https://www.iospress.nl/ios_news/body-weight-has-surprising-alarming-impact-on-brain-function/
Changes in the immune system explain why belly fat is bad for thinking, suggests a new study (n=4,431), which have found for the first time that people mostly in their 40s and 50s who had higher amounts of fat in their mid-section had worse fluid intelligence, linked to changes in white blood cells. (Dec 2019) https://fshn.hs.iastate.edu/news/2019/12/16/changes-in-the-immune-system-explain-why-belly-fat-is-bad-for-thinking/
Obesity is Associated with Reduced Plasticity of the Human Motor Cortex (Aug 2020, n=30) https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-09-world-links-obesity-brain-plasticity.html
Obesity Impairs Short-Term and Working Memory through Gut Microbial Metabolism of Aromatic Amino Acids (Oct 2020) https://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/fulltext/S1550-4131(20)30480-0
Obesity is associated with reduced cerebral blood flow – modified by physical activity (Apr 2021, n=495) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0197458021001238
Visceral and Subcutaneous Abdominal Fat Predict Brain Volume Loss at Midlife in 10,001 Individuals (2023) https://www.aginganddisease.org/EN/10.14336/AD.2023.0820 - Study finds abdominal body fat linked to brain shrinkage, possible dementia https://www.pacificneuroscienceinstitute.org/blog/neuroscience-research/study-finds-abdominal-body-fat-linked-to-brain-shrinkage-possible-dementia/
Excess body weight linked with worse heart health even in people who exercise (2021, N=527,662) https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/01/210121210500.htm Joint association of physical activity and body mass index with cardiovascular risk: a nationwide population-based cross-sectional study.
'Fat but fit' are at increased risk of heart disease (2017, N=520,000) https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/181111/fat-increased-risk-heart-disease/ Separate and combined associations of obesity and metabolic health with coronary heart disease: a pan-European case-cohort analysis.
Fat and Fit is a Myth (2018, N=11,687) https://www.einsteinmed.edu/research-briefs/1471/fat-and-fit-is-a-myth/ Muscle mass, BMI, and mortality among adults in the United States: A population-based cohort study.